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Cited by 150Psychedelics and Drug StudiesTreatment of Major DepressionReligion, Spirituality, and Psychology

Psychedelic therapy for depressive symptoms: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Ko, Kwonmok, Kopra, Emma I., Cleare, Anthony J., Rucker, James J.·2023·Journal of Affective Disorders
DOI 10.1016/j.jad.2022.09.168
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Abstract

Background Psychedelic therapy shows promise for Major Depressive Disorder, especially when treatment-resistant, as well as life-threatening illness distress. The objective of this systematic review, inclusive of meta-analysis, is to examine recent clinical research on the therapeutic effects of classic psychedelics on depressive symptoms.Methods Fourteen psychedelic therapy studies, utilising psilocybin, ayahuasca, or LSD, were systematically reviewed. For the meta-analysis, standardised mean differences were calculated for seven randomised controlled trials.Results The systematic review indicated significant short- and long-term reduction of depressive symptoms in all conditions studied after administration of psilocybin, ayahuasca, or LSD, with psychological support. In the meta-analysis, symptom reduction was significantly indicated in three timepoints out of four, including 1-day, 1-week, and 3-5 weeks, supporting the results of the systematic review, with the exception of the 6-8 weeks follow-up point which was less conclusive.Limitations The absence of required data for 2 studies necessitated the less precise use of graphical extraction and imputation. The small sample size in all but one study negatively affected the statistical power. None of the studies had long-term follow-up without also utilising the cross-over method, which did not allow for long-term results to be included in the meta-review.Conclusions This review indicates an association between psychedelic therapy and significant reduction of depressive symptoms at several time points. However, the small number of studies, and low sample sizes, calls for careful interpretation of results. This suggests the need for more randomised clinical trials of psychedelic therapy, with larger and more diverse samples.

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  • Emerging research supports the safety and efficacy of psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT) in a controlled clinical environment for several treatment-resistant psychiatric disorders including depression, PTSD, substance use disorders, social anxiety, and obsessive-compulsive disorder.

    “Emerging research supports the safety and efficacy of psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT) when administered in a controlled clinical environment (1, 2) for several treatment-resistant psychiatric disorders including depression (3–5), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (6, 7), substance use disorders (8, 9), social anxiety (10), and obsessive-compulsive disorder (11).”

    From Psychoanalytically informed MDMA-assisted therapy for pathological narcissism: a novel theoretical approach (2025) · cites this paper as [5]

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Authors
Ko, K., Kopra, E. I., Cleare, A. J., & Rucker, J. J.
Affiliations
King's College London (GB)
Corresponding author
Ko, Kwonmok
ORCID
Venue
Journal of Affective Disorders
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2023-02
Volume
322
Pages
194-204
ISSN
0165-0327 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1016/j.jad.2022.09.168
OpenAlex
W4302773366
Cited by
150
References
44
Citations by year
2026: 30 · 2025: 47 · 2024: 55 · 2023: 18
FWCI
5.01
Type
journal article
Language
en
Update notices
Open access
closed
Licence
Locations
  • Journal of Affective Disorders (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Research Portal (King's College London) (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • King's College London
  • South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust
  • NIHR Imperial Biomedical Research Centre
  • Manchester Biomedical Research Centre
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Psychedelics and Drug Studies
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Pharmacology › Treatment of Major Depression
  • Social Sciences › Health › Religion, Spirituality, and Psychology
Keywords
psychedelic therapy, depressive symptoms, major depressive disorder, treatment-resistant depression, psilocybin, ayahuasca, LSD, classic psychedelics, psychological support, symptom relief, long-term outcomes
MeSH terms
Depression, Depressive Disorder, Major, Major Depressive Disorder, Hallucinogens, Humans, Lysergic Acid Diethylamide, Psilocybin

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