Randomized Controlled Trials of Psilocybin‐Assisted Therapy in the Treatment of Major Depressive Disorder: Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis
Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica December 3, 2024 Vikas Menon, Parthasarathy Ramamurthy, Sandesh Venu et al. 15 citations
A meta-analysis of six randomized controlled trials (total 427 participants) found that psilocybin-assisted therapy produced significantly greater reductions in depression ratings than comparator treatments for major depressive disorder, including treatment-resistant depression. The effect was medium to large (standardized mean difference −0.72) at one week and persisted through six weeks. Response and remission rates were roughly 3.4 to 3.7 times higher with psilocybin therapy. However, the therapy carried a small increased risk of any adverse event, particularly headache and dizziness. Low heterogeneity across studies supports the reliability of these findings.