Psilocybin Shows Promise for Bipolar II Disorder in Clinical Trial

Participants' depressive symptoms improved significantly after a single dose of synthetic psilocybin and talk therapy, with effects lasting up to 12 weeks post-treatment.

• A small clinical trial has shown that psilocybin, the hallucinogenic compound found in 'magic mushrooms', may help relieve depressive episodes in people with bipolar II disorder without triggering mania or mood swings.
• The trial included 15 participants with bipolar II, who were given a single dose of synthetic psilocybin and underwent talk therapy before, during and after the treatment.
• Three weeks post-treatment, all participants' depressive symptoms had improved, with 11 meeting the criteria for remission from their depressive episode.
• Twelve weeks out from treatment, 12 participants were in remission, and all participants' scores on a test for hypomania and mania symptoms stayed consistent before and after treatment.
• The study authors suggest that psilocybin should be studied in larger groups of people with bipolar II, but caution that the results cannot be extrapolated to people with bipolar I.

3 Articles

Benzinga Live Science PsyPost