Psilocybin Might Be More Effective In Treating Depression Than Antidepressants: Study
Most commonly, doctors prescribe a type of antidepressant known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) for treating depressive symptoms. But while SSRI antidepressants can help in offering relief from symptoms, in comparison, psilocybin or magic mushrooms might be more effective, according to a recent study.
Co-first author of the study, David Erritzoe, Clinical Director and Deputy Head of the Centre for Psychedelic Research, Imperial College, London, said in a press release: "This is important because improving connectedness and having greater meaning in life can significantly enhance a person's quality of life and long-term mental health."
"The study suggests that psilocybin therapy might be a more holistic treatment option for depression, addressing both the symptoms of depression and overall well-being. This could make a substantial difference in the overall happiness and daily activities of those suffering from depression, providing a more joined-up approach to mental health treatment," added Erritzoe.
The group of researchers compared the effectiveness of an SSRI antidepressant (escitalopram) and psilocybin and found that although both of them have similar benefits in alleviating the severity of depressive symptoms, psilocybin enabled people to experience better functioning in their day-to-day lives, a greater sense of psychological connectedness and meaning over six months.
"Escitalopram has recently been shown to augment neuroplasticity and facilitate learning, especially emotional relearning. It is at least plausible therefore that neuroplasticity-related mechanisms are at work in both escitalopram treatment and psilocybin therapy conditions of this trial, though future study is required to confirm such hypotheses and evaluate whether they may also underlie more conventional treatment rhythms (e.g., weekly psychotherapy)," the researchers wrote in their study that was published in The Lancet Discovery Science's journal, eClinical Medicine.
"Compared with escitalopram treatment, patients in psilocybin therapy reported overall greater improvements in other study outcomes measures assessed in the follow-up period; general functioning, connectedness, and meaning in life. The superior enhancements in functioning in psilocybin therapy carry potential importance, as clinical guidelines for major depressive disorder prioritize the restoration of functioning as a key objective, and symptom remission frequently does not coincide with functional recovery," they added.
Lead author of the study, Tommaso Barba, a PhD candidate from Imperial College, London, and colleagues, conducted a six-month study of 59 patients who were diagnosed with moderate to severe depression. While 30 patients were in the psilocybin therapy group and were given 1mg to 25mg of magic mushrooms, the other 29 were prescribed escitalopram.
During their treatment, each patient also consulted therapists for six to eight hours every three weeks. Their follow-up assessments after six months were conducted via online questionnaires.
"In previous work, we had found that psilocybin also improves sexual drive, in contrast to SSRIs which tend to lower libido in many patients. So overall it seems psilocybin might give additional positive mental health benefits," Barba said in a press release published by the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology Congress in Milan. "However, this work shows that psilocybin outperformed escitalopram in several measures of well-being, meaning in life, work, and social functioning. These results appeared to be maintained over a 6-month follow-up period."
