Psilocybin increases emotional empathy in patients with major depression.

Empathy is important for relationships and mental health but is often reduced in depression. Psilocybin, a potential depression treatment, acutely boosts emotional empathy in healthy people, but its effect in depressed patients was unknown. In a randomized, placebo-controlled trial, 51 depressed patients received either a single psilocybin dose (0.215 mg/kg) or placebo, alongside 4 weeks of psychological support. Empathy was tested at baseline and up to 2 weeks later. Psilocybin significantly improved explicit emotional empathy, especially toward positive stimuli, for at least two weeks. The findings suggest psychedelics may enhance social cognition in depression, though more research is needed on its link to clinical improvement.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Empathy plays a crucial role in interpersonal relationships and mental health. It is decreased in a variety of psychiatric disorders including major depression. Psilocybin, a promising candidate for treating depression, has been shown to acutely increase emotional empathy in healthy volunteers. However, no study has investigated this effect and its relevance for symptom improvement in a clinical population. This study examines the enduring effects of psilocybin-assisted therapy on empathy in depressed patients using a randomized, placebo-controlled design. Fifty-one depressed patients were randomly assigned to receive a single dose of psilocybin (0215 mg/kg body weight) or a placebo embedded in a 4-week psychological support intervention. Empathy was measured using the Multifaceted Empathy Test at baseline and 2 days, 1 week, and 2 weeks after substance administration. Changes in empathy were compared between treatment conditions. Patients who received psilocybin showed significant improvements in explicit emotional empathy driven by an increase in empathy towards positive stimuli compared to the placebo group for at least two weeks. This study highlights the potential of psychedelics to enhance social cognition in individuals living with depression and contributes to a better understanding of the psychological mechanisms of action of psychedelics. Further studies are necessary to investigate the interaction between social cognition and clinical efficacy.The trial is registered on clinicaltrials.gov (Identifier: NCT03715127) and KOFAM (Identifier: SNCTP000003139).