Psilocybin therapy effectively improves post-pandemic depression symptoms among clinicians: JAMA

Of the 30 doctors who took part, 15 were randomized to receive psilocybin and 15 to receive niacin. From the first preparation session to day 28, the mean change in depressive symptoms (MADRS scores) of the psilocybin arm was −21.33 (7.84) whereas the niacin arm's was −9.33 (7.32). The mean difference between the two arms was −12.00 which showed improvement. Although it was not statistically significant, the mean change in SPFI ratings from the first preparation session to day 28 indicated a numerically greater improvement in burnout symptoms in the psilocybin arm as compared to the niacin arm.

The PCL-5 score change was assessed descriptively since the SPFI score change was not statistically significant. The mean reduction in PCL-5 scores revealed that the psilocybin arm had a numerically bigger decrease in PTSD symptoms from the first preparation session to day 28, although this difference was not statistically verified. Overall, this randomized clinical experiment discovered that psilocybin treatment significantly reduced the depressive symptoms of physicians and consistently following frontline work throughout the COVID-19 epidemic.

Source:

Back, A. L., Freeman-Young, T. K., Morgan, L., Sethi, T., Baker, K. K., Myers, S., McGregor, B. A., Harvey, K., Tai, M., Kollefrath, A., Thomas, B. J., Sorta, D., Kaelen, M., Kelmendi, B., & Gooley, T. A. (2024). Psilocybin Therapy for Clinicians With Symptoms of Depression From Frontline Care During the COVID-19 Pandemic. In JAMA Network Open (Vol. 7, Issue 12, p. e2449026). American Medical Association (AMA). https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.49026