New Research to Examine if Psilocybin is Effective in the Treatment of Depression

August 04, 2022, Kitchener, Ontario

Posted by: Robert Deutschmann, Personal Injury Lawyer

Researchers and clinicians have been doing trials on psilocybin‘s medical applications for a long time. There has been a stigma attached to it though as psilocybin is the active ingredient in the hallucinogenic ‘magic mushrooms’. This stigma has lessened in the last few years, and now CAMH (Centre for Addiction and Mental Health) has announced that it will study the effects of psilocybin on depression with federal funding.

This research will focus on individuals that suffer from treatment-resistant depression in 60 adults and will last 3 years.

The psilocybin will be administered with an additional blocker drug to prevent the psychedelic effects in one-third of the patients.

You can read the coverage from The Record below.

CAMH to study effects of psilocybin on depression after receiving first federal grant

The psychiatric institute says researchers will explore whether experiencing the effects of psilocybin – found in “magic mushrooms” – is necessary for it to have antidepressant effects.

By The Canadian Press Wed., July 27, 202

TORONTO - The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health says it has been awarded Canada’s first federal grant to study the effects of a psychedelic chemical component in “magic mushrooms” on treatment-resistant depression.

The psychiatric institute says researchers will explore whether experiencing the effects of psilocybin – found in “magic mushrooms” – is necessary for it to have antidepressant effects.

The clinical trial will recruit 60 adults with treatment-resistant depression over three years and administer a full dose of psilocybin, plus a blocker to prevent the psychedelic effects, to a random third of participants.

Dr. Ishrat Husain, head of CAMH’s clinical trials unit and principal investigator of the new study, says there’s a “growing interest and body of knowledge” on using psychedelic drugs for treating mental illness and addictions.

He says earlier clinical trials involving the chemical component have shown vast and enduring antidepressant effects when combined with intensive psychotherapy.

Husain says if the study shows psilocybin can treat depression without inducing a psychedelic state, it could remove the need for psychological support during treatment, which is time-intensive and costly.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 27, 2022.

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