But while drugs used to treat it are effective for many, a significant number of those with severe depression – up to 30% – don’t respond. To their surprise, they found that psilocybin produced ‘immediate, substantial, and sustained improvements in anxiety and depression’. Patients said they felt less hopeless afterwards, and that taking the drug just once had improved their quality of life. I have never suffered from serious depression or anxiety, so taking psilocybin didn’t produce any obvious long-term impact on my mood. A number of companies are testing psilocybin for the treatment of severe depression or depression that is resistant to other drugs.

Source: Daily Mail February 08, 2020 22:05 UTC