Magic-mushroom drug can treat severe depression, trial suggests
A drug based on a compound in hallucinogenic mushrooms can improve the symptoms of severe depression for up to 12 weeks, a trial shows.
A 25mg tablet of psilocybin puts patients in a dreamlike state, making psychological therapy more likely to succeed.
But the short-term side-effects could be frightening and support must always be on hand, the researchers said.
Experts say larger studies with a much longer follow-up are still needed.
Scientists have been studying the effects of psilocybin on mental-health disorders for years.
In this latest trial, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, 1mg, 10mg and 25mg doses were tested on a total of 233 people from 10 countries in Europe and North America, with 25mg giving the best results.
Most had been severely depressed for more than a year and were aged around 40, the researchers, from the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience at King’s College London and South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, said.
After one 25mg dose of Comp360 psilocybin, alongside psychotherapy:
- one in three were no longer diagnosed as depressed at three weeks
- one in five saw a significant improvement at 12 weeks
Study author and consultant psychiatrist Dr James Rucker said the drug was thought to have “a direct action on the brain, putting it into a more flexible state and providing an window of opportunity for therapy”.
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