American researchers from the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine believe that psilocybin therapy reduces symptoms of major depressive disorder four times more successfully than antidepressants. Psilocybin is a psychoactive substance found in magic mushrooms that causes an altered state of consciousness.

As outlined in their paper in JAMA Psychiatry, the researchers conducted a small pilot trial of psilocybin therapy in 27 people aged 21 to 75 who had been experiencing major depressive disorder for the past two years.

Participants in the experiment were randomly divided into two groups: 15 volunteers were assigned to psilocycin therapy, and another 12 were placed in a control group, which was supposedly delayed treatment. The experiment lasted a month, during which time the participants stopped taking antidepressants.

Volunteers were given two gelatin capsules with psilocybin (20 and 30 milligrams), the break between sessions lasted two weeks. Participants in the experimental treatment also attended psychotherapy sessions.

To assess the severity of depression, scientists used the Hamilton scale, which consists of 21 points. They are completed by the clinician during an interview with the patient and allow symptoms to be identified.

The experiment showed that after a month of psilocybin therapy, 71% of volunteers experienced a reduction in symptoms by 50% or more. According to study author Allan Davis, it is four times more effective than traditional antidepressants.

The next step is to conduct a phase two trial with a large number of volunteers. Additionally, the long-term effects of psilocybin therapy need to be studied.