6 articles · Updated · MedicalResearch.com · May 19
A randomized double-blind trial at Karolinska Institutet found a single psilocybin dose, paired with psychological support, reduced depressive symptoms by day 8 versus the active placebo niacin.
The benefit persisted for more than three months in self-reports, suggesting the treatment may deliver both rapid and sustained antidepressant effects.
The protocol used 5 treatment sessions—screening and preparation, one supervised dosing session, and 3 integration visits—to manage safety in a structured clinical setting.
Researchers said some participants needed extra support for anxiety, and stressed psilocybin remains a controlled substance that should not be used outside clinical or regulatory settings.
The team said larger studies with longer follow-up are still needed to test durability, safety, blinding effects and which patients are most likely to benefit.
Psilocybin’s depression relief fades within a year. What does a sustainable, long-term psychedelic therapy model actually look like for patients?
As governments fast-track psilocybin, can the costly 'set-and-setting' protocol be scaled to meet widespread public health needs?