Therapeutic Effects of Low-Dose Psilocybin in Depression and Other Mental Disorders: A Systematic Review
Psychedelic Medicine April 28, 2025 Shakila Meshkat, Howell Fang, Rachel Sousa-Ho et al.
Low-dose psilocybin, given as 1–3 mg or 0.1–0.2 g of dried mushrooms, shows limited and inconsistent evidence for treating mental disorders. In two randomized controlled trials for treatment-resistant depression, 18% of participants receiving 1 mg showed a significant response, 8% achieved remission, and depression scores improved by −5.4 points at week 3, but only 10% maintained improvement by week 12. Another trial reported no significant improvement with 1–3 mg, though 12% achieved anxiety remission and 16% depression remission. A trial comparing 25 mg to 1 mg plus escitalopram found higher response rates with the higher dose. The evidence is constrained by few well-designed studies comparing low-dose psilocybin to placebo.