Psilocybin survived the placebo correction, but the effect shrank to small
What they did
Researchers pooled nineteen randomised trials of psilocybin, LSD, MDMA, ayahuasca and escitalopram, using a model that corrected for the unusually weak placebo response typical of psychedelic studies.
What they found
High-dose psilocybin was the only psychedelic that still beat placebo after the correction. Its effect size shrank from large at 0.88 down to small at 0.31.
Worth knowing
This is the most sober assessment on the page and it is the one to read if you only read one. Psilocybin survives the correction, but at roughly the effect size of a standard antidepressant rather than the breakthrough the coverage suggests.
Hsu et al. Comparative oral monotherapy of psilocybin, LSD, MDMA, ayahuasca and escitalopram for depressive symptoms. BMJ, 2024.
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depressionOnly the highest dose eased treatment-resistant depressiondepressionIn ordinary depression, psilocybin beat placebo by twelve pointsdepressionPsilocybin and a standard antidepressant, with no clear winnerEvery trial in this section used a single large dose, given in a clinic, with trained people in the room for the whole session. That is a different activity from anything sold on this site. More on why that distinction matters.
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