Effect of psilocybin versus escitalopram on depression symptom severity in patients with moderate-to-severe major depressive disorder: observational 6-month follow-up of a phase 2, double-blind, randomised, controlled trial

Summary & key facts

Researchers followed 59 people with moderate-to-severe depression for six months after they were randomly given one of two treatments: two guided doses of psilocybin plus psychological support, or six weeks of the SSRI antidepressant escitalopram plus similar psychological support. Both groups showed lasting reductions in depressive symptoms at six months. The main depression score did not show a clear difference between the two treatments, but the psilocybin group reported larger improvements in daily functioning, feeling connected to others, and a sense of meaning in life. The study is small and has missing data, and other treatments people used after the trial could affect the results, so the findings need cautious interpretation and more research.

Key facts:

• Fifty-nine people with moderate-to-severe major depressive disorder took part in the trial.
• Participants were randomly assigned to either two guided doses of psilocybin with psychological support or a six-week course of the SSRI escitalopram with matched psychological support.
• At six months, both treatment groups still showed improvements in depressive symptoms compared with where they started.
• The average difference in the main depression score between the two groups at six months was small and could be due to chance, so it does not show a clear advantage for either treatment on that main measure.
• On secondary measures, the psilocybin group did better: they had about a 7.5-point bigger improvement in day-to-day functioning, about an 11-point bigger increase in psychological connectedness, and about a 5-point bigger increase in sense of meaning in life compared with the escitalopram group.
• The study has important limits: it was fairly small, some people’s data were missing at follow-up, the researchers did not check safety during the six-month period, and people may have used other treatments after the trial ended.
• Because of these limits, the results are descriptive and suggest the need for larger studies before drawing firm conclusions about long-term benefits.

Abstract

Background: Psilocybin therapy (PT) produces rapid and persistent antidepressant effects in major depressive disorder (MDD). However, the long-term effects of PT have never been compared with gold-standard treatments for MDD such as pharmacotherapy or psychotherapy alone or in combination. Methods: This is a 6-month follow-up study of a phase 2, double-blind, randomised, controlled trial involving patients with moderate-to-severe MDD. Participants were recruited from a hospital in the UK. Male or female patients with major depressive disorder (DSM-IV), moderate to severe depression (HAM-D ≥17), no MRI or SSRI contraindications, confirmed diagnosis by a GP or mental healthcare professional, aged 18-80, and competent in English were eligible. Patients were randomly assigned (1:1) to receive either two 25 mg doses of the psychedelic drug psilocybin administered orally combined with psychological support ('psilocybin therapy' or PT) and book-ended by further support or a 6-week course of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) escitalopram (administered daily at 10 mg for three weeks and 20 mg for the subsequent three weeks) plus matched psychological support ('escitalopram treatment' or ET). The primary outcome measure was change from baseline in the score on the 16-item Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology-Self-Report (QIDS-SR-16) at week 6, which has been reported previously. Herein, we present results at the 6-month follow-up time point. Measures of social functioning, connectedness, and meaning in life constituted the study's secondary outcomes during follow-up. Safety in the follow-up period was not assessed. This trial is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03429075. Findings: Between January 15th, 2019 and March 20th, 2020, 59 patients were enrolled and 30 (11 females [37%] and 19 males [63%]) were assigned to the psilocybin group and 29 (9 females [31%] and 20 males [69%]) to the escitalopram group. 25 participants in the PT group and 21 in the ET group completed the 6-month follow-up. At the 6-month follow-up, both PT and ET conditions yielded sustained improvements in depressive symptom severity. The mean between-condition difference in QIDS-SR-16 scores at 6-months was 1.51 (95% CI: -1.35, 4.38; p = 0.311). Secondary outcomes demonstrated that PT had greater mean between-condition differences in functioning (WSAS: -7.46; 95% CI: -12.4, -2.47; p < 0.001), psychological connectedness (WCS: 11.02; 95% CI: 1.25, 20.83; p = 0.033), and meaning in life (MLQ: 4.86; 95% CI: 0.67, 9.05; p = 0.021) compared to ET. Interpretation: Six-week intensive treatments with either psilocybin or escitalopram (with psychological support) for MDD were associated with long-term improvements in depressive symptom severity. The greater degree of improvement in the PT arm at follow-up on psychosocial functioning, meaning in life, and psychological connectedness suggests warrant future research. However, these results are descriptive and should be interpreted with caution. Key limitations of the study include its suboptimal power to detect small but meaningful differences between treatments, missing data, the potential use of additional interventions during the follow-up period, and reliance on self-reported treatment assessments. These factors may affect the interpretation of the study findings and should be considered when evaluating the results. Funding: The Alexander Mosley Charitable Trust and by the founding partners of Imperial College London's Centre for Psychedelic Research.

Topics

Pain Management and Placebo Effect Paranormal Experiences and Beliefs Psychedelics and Drug Studies

Categories

Clinical Psychology Psychology Social Sciences

Tags

Alternative medicine Antidepressant Anxiety Depression (economics) Double blind Economics Escitalopram Hallucinogen Internal medicine Macroeconomics Major depressive disorder Medicine Mood Observational study Pathology Placebo Psilocybin Psychiatry Randomized controlled trial

Substances

Psilocybin

Conditions & symptoms

Anxiety Depression Lack of energy or motivation Sadness or low mood