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Psilocybin-assisted group psychotherapy and mindfulness-based stress reduction for frontline healthcare provider COVID-19-related depression and burnout: A randomized controlled trial

Summary

Researchers tested whether combining psilocybin therapy with mindfulness training could better treat depression and burnout in frontline healthcare workers than mindfulness training alone. Twenty-five doctors and nurses participated in the study, with some receiving mindfulness training combined with psilocybin therapy in a group setting, while others received mindfulness training only. After two weeks, those who received the combined treatment showed significantly greater improvements in depression symptoms and burnout, with no serious side effects reported. This suggests that psilocybin-assisted therapy combined with mindfulness training could be a promising treatment for depression and burnout among healthcare professionals.

Background

Depression and burnout are common among healthcare workers and were exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and psilocybin have separately demonstrated efficacy for depressive symptoms, but their combination requires comparison to active treatment controls.

Objective

To evaluate the safety and preliminary efficacy of psilocybin combined with MBSR versus MBSR alone for frontline healthcare providers with COVID-19-related depression and burnout symptoms. The hypothesis was that psilocybin would augment the antidepressant effects of MBSR.

Results

The MBSR + psilocybin arm showed significantly greater reduction in depression symptoms at 2 weeks (4.6-point difference, p=0.008). At 2 weeks, 46% of the combined treatment group achieved remission versus 8.3% in MBSR-only. Secondary outcomes favored the combined treatment for burnout, demoralization, and connectedness, though effects diminished by 6 months. No serious adverse events occurred.

Conclusion

Group psilocybin-assisted therapy combined with MBSR was safe and associated with clinically significant improvements in depression symptoms greater than MBSR alone. The findings suggest integrating psilocybin with mindfulness training may represent a promising treatment for depression and burnout in healthcare providers, though larger trials are needed to establish durability and generalizability.
  • Published in:PLoS Medicine,
  • Study Type:Randomized Controlled Trial,
  • Source: PMID: 40972137, DOI: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1004519, ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT05557643
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