Original title: Psilocybin produces substantial and sustained decreases in depression and anxiety in patients with life-threatening cancer: A randomized double-blind trial
The trial included 51 people with life-threatening cancer who had depression or anxiety symptoms. Each person received a very low dose and a high dose of psilocybin, in a randomly chosen order, with five weeks between sessions. After the high dose, both patients and clinicians reported less depression and anxiety, and patients reported better quality of life and more optimism. About 80% still had clinically significant improvements in mood and anxiety six months later.
Imagine tasting two soups on different days, without knowing which bowl has the stronger seasoning. It is hard to tell whether a change in your reaction comes from the soup or from what you expected. In this paper, each person receives both a very low dose and a high dose in a hidden order, so researchers can compare their reported changes after each one.
People facing life-threatening cancer can experience severe depression and anxiety alongside the illness itself. The trial suggests that a high dose of psilocybin, given in a carefully structured study, may bring relief that lasts for months—but it does not establish how well this works beyond the patients studied.
The abstract reports results from 51 cancer patients with life-threatening diagnoses and depression and/or anxiety symptoms. It does not establish whether the findings apply to other groups, how the treatment compares with other care, or how safe and effective it is beyond the reported follow-up.
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Psilocybin produces substantial and sustained decreases in depression and anxiety in patients with life-threatening cancer: A randomized double-blind trial — Roland R. Griffiths, Matthew W. Johnson, Michael Anthony Carducci et al. — Journal of Psychopharmacology — doi:10.1177/0269881116675513
Abstract licence: CC BY
Explanation generated by Synthesis from the abstract — it is not the original paper.