Psilocybin in Treatment-Resistant Depression
New England Journal of Medicine – November 02, 2022
Source: OpenAlex
Summary
Depression causes immense personal strain and economic drain, with over 30 FDA-approved psychiatry medicines offering only modest benefits. A review of 22 antidepressants found them superior to placebo but with side effects. Consequently, pharmacology is revisiting hallucinogens like psilocybin and lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) as potential new medicine. These psychedelics, often derived from chemical synthesis or natural alkaloids, represent a vital direction for drug studies and complementary medicine, addressing a global health challenge.
Abstract
Depression ranks first among psychiatric disorders that dominate the global burden of disease, posing a substantial personal strain and economic drain on nations.1 At least 30 drugs are Food and Drug Administration (FDA)–approved to treat depression,2 yet a systematic review and meta-analysis of 22 antidepressants concluded that although they were more effective than placebo in adults with major depressive disorder, effect sizes were mostly modest and tempered by an array of side effects.3 Because medicine abhors a therapeutic vacuum, the hallucinogens (psychedelic agents) psilocybin and lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) are being revisited as potential candidate medications decades after their demise in . . .