[Medical Times = Reporter Inbok Lee] Research results have shown that psilocybin, a mushroom extract compound that is attracting attention as a new depression treatment strategy, shows efficacy and safety that are comparable to those of standard antidepressants.

This is the first time that the long-term treatment effect of psilocybin has been demonstrated, and it is expected to have a significant impact on future depression treatment strategies.

On the 15th local time, the Journal of Psychopharmacology published the results of a long-term follow-up study on the effects of psilocybin on severe depression (doi.org/10.1177/02698811211073759).

Psilocybin Therapy is an extract of hallucinogenic mushrooms and is reported to cause perception and mood changes by suppressing the firing of serotonin-dependent neurons.

However, it is also true that it is emerging as a new depression treatment strategy as basic research shows that this perception effect can be effective in treating terminal cancer, depression, or anxiety. However, most of them were retrospective studies, and it was difficult to find any basic research that could provide evidence for them.

This is why a research team led by Professor Natalie Gukasyan of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine set out to investigate this. The purpose is to determine whether psilocybin can actually be used as a treatment strategy as well as existing antidepressants.

Accordingly, the researchers recruited 27 participants who had suffered from long-term depression, provided them with psilocybin for up to 24 months, and observed the effects.

After administering psilocybin twice at two-week intervals from 2017 to 2019, the degree of improvement in depression was determined every week. This is through the GRID-Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, a standard depression assessment tool.

A grid score of 24 or more is considered severe depression, 17 to 23 points is moderate depression, 8 to 16 points is mild depression, and 7 points or less is not depression.

As a result of psilocybin administration, patients whose depression did not improve even with standard antidepressant therapy in the past and whose grid score reached an average of 22.8 points rapidly improved, dropping to 8.7 points in the first week of treatment.

In addition, after recording 8.9 points in the 4th week, the score was 7 points in the 6th month, showing virtually complete improvement in depression.

These effects lasted for a long time. This is because the grid score was maintained at 7.7 points in the survey 12 months later. In a comprehensive analysis, the response rate after 12 months was 75% and the complete remission rate was 58%.

The researchers explain that these results show that psilocybin is in no way less effective than standard antidepressant therapy in the past, and rather is a sufficient alternative that can continue treatment without side effects for a long time.

Professor Natalie said, "This study showed that psilocybin can be a very effective alternative to depression as it not only has immediate effects but also lasts for a very long time," adding, "Compared to standard antidepressants that have to be taken for a long period of time and have side effects controlled, it can be administered once or twice. “It is superior in that it can continuously relieve symptoms of depression even with treatment,” he explained.

He continued, "If we prove through future research that this effect lasts for more than 12 months, it will be a groundbreaking turning point in the treatment of depression in the future."