How well psychedelic therapy for depression works may depend on how prepared patients are

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2026-01-22 03:00

International

CC-0. Story by Dr Joe Milton, Australian Science Media Centre

Swiss scientists brought together and re-analysed the data from 12 previous clinical trials of psychedelic therapy for depression, including a total of 733 patients, and say the therapy appears to be most effective when patients take part in more preparatory psychological therapy sessions before taking the psychedelics. The team looked at reductions in depressive symptoms, finding that psychedelic therapy is very effective for treating depression, and most effective among patients who underwent more preparation therapy. The findings suggest preparation may be key to optimising the outcomes of psychedelic therapy for depression, but further research is required to confirm this, the authors conclude.

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Journal/
conference: JAMA Network Open

Research:Paper

Organisation/s: University of Bern, Switzerland

Funder: This meta-analysis was supported by a grant provided by the Swiss National Science Foundation (grant No. 10.001.356) and a grant provided by the Swiss Foundation for Alcohol Research (grant No. 343).

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