Empathy is important for relationships and mental health but is often reduced in depression. Psilocybin, a potential depression treatment, acutely boosts emotional empathy in healthy people, but its effect in depressed patients was unknown. In a randomized, placebo-controlled trial, 51 depressed patients received either a single psilocybin dose (0.215 mg/kg) or placebo, alongside 4 weeks of psychological support. Empathy was tested at baseline and up to 2 weeks later. Psilocybin significantly improved explicit emotional empathy, especially toward positive stimuli, for at least two weeks. The findings suggest psychedelics may enhance social cognition in depression, though more research is needed on its link to clinical improvement.
In a double-blind randomized trial with 120 healthy volunteers who received psilocybin, MDMA, or methylphenidate (active placebo), overall blinding was insufficient. Psilocybin had the highest rates of functional unblinding, MDMA moderate levels, and methylphenidate the lowest. As an active placebo, methylphenidate provided more effective blinding for MDMA than for psilocybin. Incorporating certainty levels of substance guesses revealed a more differentiated pattern with lower functional unblinding rates. Decision factors and subjective substance experiences were associated with phenomenological effects. Prior substance experiences did not influence accuracy of forced-choice guesses. These findings offer empirical guidance for designing and reporting blinding procedures in psychedelic trials.