Psilocybin-Assisted Therapy: Johns Hopkins Trial Shows Major Depression Relief
Does psilocybin-assisted therapy work for depression?
Yes. Psilocybin-assisted therapy produces approximately 80-85% greater improvement in depression symptoms compared to waiting list control, with 71% of patients achieving treatment response and 54-58% achieving remission after just 2 sessions. A randomized clinical trial of 24 adults with major depressive disorder (16 women, 8 men, mean age 39.8 years) published in JAMA Psychiatry found that psilocybin combined with approximately 11 hours of supportive psychotherapy led to rapid and sustained antidepressant effects that persisted for at least 4 weeks.