Research library / Clinical trial

Psilocybin Therapy for Clinicians With Symptoms of Depression From Frontline Care During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Back AL, Freeman-Young TK, Morgan L, et al. JAMA Network Open 2024;7(12):e2449026

This trial enrolled 30 doctors, nurses and advanced practice clinicians who developed moderate to severe depression after working on the front line during the COVID-19 pandemic, with no mental health diagnosis beforehand. Half received a single 25 mg dose of psilocybin and half received niacin, a vitamin that causes flushing and served as an active placebo. Both groups had preparation and follow-up therapy visits. Four weeks later, depression scores had fallen much further in the psilocybin group, by an average of 21 points against 9. Burnout and PTSD symptoms also dropped more with psilocybin, but the burnout difference narrowly missed statistical significance and PTSD was not formally tested. The trial is small and followed people for four weeks, so it says little about how long the benefit lasts or how widely it applies.