‘Shrooms for the Blues: Psilocybin to alleviate difficult-to-treat depression

Psilocybin, the prodrug in psychedelic mushrooms, shows promise as an antidepressant for treatment-resistant and cancer-related depression. Unlike conventional antidepressants, it interacts with the serotonin system to produce positive and enduring mood effects. Clinical trials indicate the drug is safe, especially in small clinical doses, and has led to previously unreachable successes for patients with these difficult-to-treat forms of depression.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Depression is a devastating disease, affecting hundreds of millions of people worldwide. Cases of difficult-to-treat depression are also increasingly common, exposing the ineffectiveness of currently available treatments. This paper reviews evidence supporting the use of psilocybin, the prodrug found in psychedelic mushrooms, as a potential antidepressant for treatment-resistant and cancer-related depression, two prevalent kinds of difficult-to-treat depression. Through its interactions with the serotonin system, psilocybin appears to create positive and enduring effects on mood that are fundamentally different from conventional antidepressants. Despite concerns about psilocybin’s potential to cause neurotoxicity or psychosis, trials have shown this drug to be quite safe, especially when administered in small doses in a clinical setting. These studies suggest that, both neurologically and psychologically, psilocybin has led to previously unreachable successes for patients struggling with cancer-related and treatment-resistant depression.