Antidepressants as a treatment for depression work for many, but they leave a lot of patients feeling numb and unresponsive, worse still for some they have little to no effect at all as a medicine for depressive symptoms.

Researchers recently have looked at alternative methods to solve the problem of severe depression. Psilocybin , has shown promising early results in treating depression, as opposed to taking medication daily. One dose is given initially, and could feasibly be only needed once every 3-6 months thereafter. Participants in early trials reported a substantial shift in mood and a greater understanding of their issues.

Although it is the early stages of research, psychedelic substances and psychotherapy combined seem to be having a very positive outcome for many. Psychedelic research using clinical trials to help treat people with major depressive disorder are key to tackling the huge problem with mental health faced by so many.

In the trials, the psychedelic drugs are given in clinical settings and in the case of PsiDeR study, a placebo is used in half of the patients to determine the effectiveness of psilocybin as in both scenarios therapy is still given.