Previous research by scientists from Johns Hopkins Medicine found that treatment with psilocybin relieved symptoms of major depressive disorder in adults for up to a month. Now, the results of a follow-up study indicate that psychotherapy-assisted treatment with psilocybin produces significant antidepressant effects that may last for over a year in some patients.
A report on the new study has been published in the Journal of Psychopharmacology.
"Our discovery demonstrates a promising therapeutic approach that, under carefully controlled conditions, can lead to significant and lasting improvement in people with depression," said Natalie Gukasyan, assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
At the same time warns that "the results we are observing relate to the research environment and require both proper preparation and support from trained clinicians and therapists, and people should not attempt this on their own. hand ”.
The researchers recruited 27 participants with a long history of depression, most of whom experienced symptoms of depression for approximately two years prior to recruitment. The mean age of the participants, consisting of 19 women and 8 men, was 40 years. The majority, 88% of participants, had previously been treated with standard antidepressants, and 58% reported using antidepressants in their current depressive episodes.
After screening, participants were randomized to one of two treatment groups either immediately or after an eight-week waiting period. During treatment, all participants were provided six to eight hours of preparatory meetings with two treatment facilitators. After preparation, participants received two doses of psilocybin given approximately two weeks apart, between August 2017 and April 2019. Participants returned for follow-up one day and a week after the first session, and then one, three, six, and 12 months after the second session. 24 participants completed both psilocybin sessions and all follow-up assessment visits.
Researchers reported that treatment with psilocybin in both groups resulted in a significant reduction in symptoms of depression for up to 12 months after treatment. Depression symptoms were measured before and after treatment using the standard Hamilton Depression Scale Depression Rating Tool, which had a score of 24 or greater for severe depression, 17-23 moderate depression, 8-16 mild depression, and 7 or less no depression. For the majority of participants, on-treatment scores fell from 22.8 pre-treatment to 8.7 in one week, 8.9 in four weeks, 9.3 in three months, 7 in six months, and 7.7 within 12 months after treatment. Participants had stable rates of response to treatment and remission of symptoms throughout the follow-up period, with a 75 percent response and 58 percent remission at 12 months.
"Psilocybin has not only significant and immediate effects, but also has a long duration, suggesting that it may be an extremely useful new treatment for depression." "Compared to standard antidepressants that need to be taken over long periods of time, psilocybin has the potential to permanently relieve symptoms of depression with one or two treatments, "say the authors of the study.
Researchers stress that more research is needed to explore the possibility that the effectiveness of psilocybin treatment could be significantly greater than 12 months.
In the last 20 years there has been a renaissance in research into classic psychedelics - compounds containing psilocybin, an ingredient found in so-called "magic mushrooms". Treatment with psilocybin has shown promise in research settings for the treatment of a range of psychiatric and addiction disorders.
Source: ScienceDaily
