Psychedelic therapy for depressive symptoms: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

A systematic review and meta-analysis of 14 studies (7 randomized controlled trials) examined the effects of classic psychedelics (psilocybin, ayahuasca, LSD) on depressive symptoms. The review found significant reductions in depressive symptoms at 1 day, 1 week, and 3-5 weeks after treatment with psychological support. Results at 6-8 weeks were less conclusive. Small sample sizes in most studies and lack of long-term follow-up data limited statistical power and interpretation. The findings suggest an association between psychedelic therapy and short-term symptom reduction, but more rigorous trials with larger, diverse samples are needed.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Psychedelic therapy shows promise for Major Depressive Disorder, especially when treatment-resistant, as well as life-threatening illness distress. The objective of this systematic review, inclusive of meta-analysis, is to examine recent clinical research on the therapeutic effects of classic psychedelics on depressive symptoms. Fourteen psychedelic therapy studies, utilising psilocybin, ayahuasca, or LSD, were systematically reviewed. For the meta-analysis, standardised mean differences were calculated for seven randomised controlled trials. The systematic review indicated significant short- and long-term reduction of depressive symptoms in all conditions studied after administration of psilocybin, ayahuasca, or LSD, with psychological support. In the meta-analysis, symptom reduction was significantly indicated in three timepoints out of four, including 1-day, 1-week, and 3-5 weeks, supporting the results of the systematic review, with the exception of the 6-8 weeks follow-up point which was less conclusive. The absence of required data for 2 studies necessitated the less precise use of graphical extraction and imputation. The small sample size in all but one study negatively affected the statistical power. None of the studies had long-term follow-up without also utilising the cross-over method, which did not allow for long-term results to be included in the meta-review. This review indicates an association between psychedelic therapy and significant reduction of depressive symptoms at several time points. However, the small number of studies, and low sample sizes, calls for careful interpretation of results. This suggests the need for more randomised clinical trials of psychedelic therapy, with larger and more diverse samples.