The results are in! – Psilocybin beats depression in the largest study ever conducted

Psilocybin, the psychoactive compound found in numerous types of magic mushrooms, has made headlines in the medical community in recent years for its ability to treat many serious mental illnesses. Depression is one of them.

According to the World Health Organization, depression is a common mental illness affecting approximately 3.8% of the world’s population. That’s around 280 million people worldwide who are battling a terrible mental illness that can often have symptoms so debilitating that it can be difficult to just get through the day. It’s such a serious problem that the global antidepressant industry is estimated to be worth $21,004.8 million in 2030, yet this type of drug is notorious for its numerous side effects, including restlessness, anxiety, diarrhea, insomnia, headaches, sexual problems and much more.

Thanks to scientific research, we now have other options like marijuana and magic mushrooms.

The use of magic mushrooms to treat depression is still new but has had incredible success in treating depression. Now the largest study of its kind to date has confirmed what we know about it. Last May 21, the annual meeting of the American Psychiatric Association (APA) unveiled the “largest, randomized, controlled, double-blind study of psilocybin therapy ever completed,” according to the press release.

Subjects were dosed with either 25 mg or 10 mg of COMP360 psilocybin in patients with TRD (treatment-resistant depression). Symptoms were measured using the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS), a scale that has been around since 1979 and helps psychiatrists rate sadness and inner tension. They found that participants given 25 mg of COMP360 psilocybin had a “highly statistically significant reduction in depression symptoms after three weeks.” What’s more, their benefits lasted much longer too, they found that for some participants, their depression scores were better for three months.

Because of this, scientists report that psilocybin provides “a rapid and sustained response for up to 122 weeks.”

“Treatment-resistant depression is one of the greatest challenges we face in psychiatry, and the odds of success decrease with each treatment a patient attempts,” said Dr. David J. Hellerstein, principal investigator of the study and professor of clinical psychiatry at Columbia University Irving Medical Center. “Such positive results from clinical trials in this disease area are rarely seen, which is why these results are so significant. I hope this is an important step in finding new options for people with treatment-resistant depression.”

“Our mission is to innovate in mental health through scientific evidence, which is why we’re honored to present the largest study of its kind at APA,” said Dr. Guy Goodwin. “In this study, a significant number of patients experienced an improvement in their depression symptoms after just a single dose of psilocybin 25 mg with psychological support, with the effects lasting up to three months into the study. We now need to continue our research to understand if this can be replicated in even larger studies.”

other studies

Clinical research into the effects of psilocybin on major and treatment-resistant depression continues to grow, with increasingly surprising results.

Another study, the results of which were published earlier this year, found that people with major depression found relief from psilocybin treatment, some for a year or even longer. For the study, 19 adults who had a long history of major depression were given 2 doses of psilocybin and underwent talk therapy.

At 12 months, 70% of the participants were still showing antidepressant responses, while over half were in remission. “Not only does psilocybin produce significant and immediate effects, it also has a long duration of action, suggesting that it could be a uniquely useful new treatment for depression,” explains Roland Griffiths, PhD. “Compared to traditional antidepressants that have to be taken for long periods of time, psilocybin has the potential to provide lasting relief from depression symptoms in one or two treatments,” he adds.

Additionally, another study found that psilocybin helps the depressed brain by making it more flexible, which is different from how antidepressants work. Medical experts say that when the brain is depressed, the brain’s activity patterns are restricted and rigid. This is where psilocybin helps, however, by improving brain flexibility, reports The Guardian.

“These results are important because we are finding for the first time that psilocybin works differently than traditional antidepressants, making the brain more flexible and fluid and less anchored in the negative thought patterns associated with depression,” says Professor David Nutt, who conducted the study Imperial heads Center for Psychedelic Research. “This supports our initial predictions and confirms that psilocybin could be a real alternative approach to treating depression,” he says.

“The effect seen with psilocybin is consistent across two studies related to people getting better and was not seen with a traditional antidepressant,” adds Professor Robin Carhart-Harris, the senior author of the research. “In previous studies, we had seen a similar effect in the brain when people were scanned while taking a psychedelic, but here we see it weeks after treatment for depression, suggesting carryover of the acute drug effect.”

Conclusion

Psilocybin has numerous mental health benefits and magic mushrooms have been ranked as the safest recreational drug. With all these benefits, patients suffering from various mental health disorders can rely on psilocybin treatments for depression, PTSD and more.

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