Psilocybin in Treatment-Resistant Depression
New England Journal of Medicine November 2, 2022 DOI: 10.1056/nejme2210975 via OpenAlex
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractDepression is the leading psychiatric disorder globally, causing significant personal and economic burden. While over 30 FDA-approved antidepressants exist, a systematic review and meta-analysis of 22 antidepressants found they are only modestly more effective than placebo in adults with major depressive disorder and come with many side effects. Because of this therapeutic gap, the hallucinogens psilocybin and LSD are being reconsidered as potential medications decades after their use was discontinued.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Adults with major depressive disorder |
| Topics | LSD Psilocybin Serotonin |
| Keywords | Hallucinogen Depression economics Psychiatry |
| Citations | 36 |
| Key finding | Existing antidepressants are modestly more effective than placebo and have many side effects, prompting renewed interest in psilocybin and LSD as potential treatments for depression. |
Abstract
Depression ranks first among psychiatric disorders that dominate the global burden of disease, posing a substantial personal strain and economic drain on nations.1 At least 30 drugs are Food and Drug Administration (FDA)–approved to treat depression,2 yet a systematic review and meta-analysis of 22 antidepressants concluded that although they were more effective than placebo in adults with major depressive disorder, effect sizes were mostly modest and tempered by an array of side effects.3 Because medicine abhors a therapeutic vacuum, the hallucinogens (psychedelic agents) psilocybin and lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) are being revisited as potential candidate medications decades after their demise in . . .