Psilocybin Treatment for Refractory Depression: A Clinical Review

Introduction: Depression is a widespread mental illness that affects a large portion of the world population and many of those who suffer from depression are resistant to treatment currently available. The purpose of this review is to compare the efficacy of psilocybin to the current available methods for the treatment of refractory depression. Methods: PubMed was searched with the key search terms: resistant depression, psilocybin therapy, and adults. Operators and filters narrowed down the search to 43 results. Four articles were then chosen based on quality and specificity with this review. Results: The articles included in this review compare the effectiveness of psilocybin to the currently available treatment methods for depression. Each of these articles found psilocybin to be a fast acting, effective treatment for treatment resistant depression. Discussion: Early results regarding psilocybin as a treatment for treatment resistant depression suggest psilocybin is efficacious. Due to the hallucinogenic nature of psilocybin and the current stigma surrounding the drug, more research is needed to determine safety profile and effective doses.