Two-thirds of people with depression who were treated with psilocybin – the primary psychedelic substance in magic mushrooms – were in complete remission five years after taking part in the trial, follow-up research has found.
The clinical trial in 2021 found that psilocybin-assisted therapy was effective at treating major depressive disorder.
Follow-up research, at an average of five years after the trial, found that not only were a significant number of participants in remission, but that they also reported improved well-being.
While the trial was small, those behind it say it is the first sign that psilocybin-assisted therapy could provide long-lasting relief from depression symptoms.
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Lead author Alan Davis, associate professor and director of the Center for Psychedelic Drug Research and Education (CPDRE) in The Ohio State University College of Social Work, said: “We found that 67% were in remission at five years compared to 58% at one year. We also saw that across the board, anxiety, depression, global functioning, self-reported depression, all of these measures were showing the same signal of continued improvement up to five years later.
“Even controlling for those baseline estimates from the people who didn’t participate in the long-term follow-up, we still see a very large and significant reduction in depression symptoms. That was really exciting for us because this showed that the number of participants still in complete remission from their depression had gone up slightly.
“Five years later, most people continued to view this treatment as safe, meaningful, important, and something that catalysed an ongoing betterment of their life.
“It’s important for us to understand the details of what comes after treatment. I think this is a sign that regardless of what the outcomes are, their lives were improved because they participated in something like this.”
The findings suggest that the trial treatment was not solely responsible for remission rates. Before the trial, patients reported that their depression prevented them from engaging in life, whereas after the trial, many saw their depression as more situational and manageable.
Davis explained: “They believed that overall, they had greater capacity for positive emotions and enthusiasm, regardless of whether their depression came back or not. A lot of folks reported that these shifts led to important changes in how they related to their experiences of depression.”
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The follow up also demonstrated that when it comes to psychedelic-assisted therapy, the relationship between the participant and their therapist is more important than the drug itself.
The authors said: “We believe that these data suggest that there is long-term efficacy with people who undergo these treatments. Some of the most debilitating aspects of depression are people isolating and withdrawing from things that are important to them.
“Despite some of those symptoms coming back, they found they weren’t experiencing those same levels of impairment – that really speaks to the potential for some people that this treatment might catalyse future positive effects when they’re going through depression.”
Read more in the Journal of Psychedelic Studies
