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

A new study published in the Journal of American Medical Association found that psilocybin therapy is a novel treatment paradigm for post-pandemic depression symptoms linked with frontline clinical practice in physicians facing mild to severe symptoms. Burnout, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are among the psychological morbidities suffered by physicians, advanced practice practitioners (APPs), and nurses as a result of working during the COVID-19 epidemic. Thereby, Anthony Back and colleagues undertook this study to see if psilocybin treatment helped relieve symptoms of depression, burnout, and PTSD among US doctors who developed these symptoms while working on the front lines of clinical care during the epidemic.

The participants in this double-blind randomized clinical experiment were recruited between February and December of 2022. Physicians, APPs, and nurses who worked on the front lines for more than a month during the pandemic and who did not have any pre-pandemic mental health diagnoses but who at enrollment showed moderate to severe depressive symptoms were among the participants. The niacin or psilocybin arm was allocated to participants at random. Based on the intention-to-treat principle, data analysis was carried out from December 2023 to May 2024. 3 integration visits, 1 medication session, and 2 preparation visits made up one intervention episode. The participants were given either 100 mg of niacin or 25 mg of psilocybin orally during the medication session.

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