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A single dose of a synthetic version of the mind-altering component of magic mushrooms, psilocybin, improved depression in people with a treatment-resistant form of the disease, a new study found. The randomized, double-blind clinical trial, which authors called “the largest of its kind,” compared results of a 25-milligram dose to a 10-milligram and 1-milligram dose of a synthetic psilocybin, COMP360, that was administered in the presence of trained therapists. (LaMotte, 11/2)

Researchers tested the chemical in 233 adults in the U.S., Europe and Canada. Each swallowed capsules containing one of three doses of psilocybin during a 6-to 8-hour session. Two mental health specialists guided them through hallucinatory experiences. (Tanner, 11/2)

Once administered, patients entered a sort of "waking dream-like" state that lasted between four to six hours. People came in the morning, had their psychedelic experience and left that afternoon or evening at their baseline state, said James Rucker, consultant psychiatrist and senior clinical lecturer at King’s College London, who was involved in the study. (Grover, 11/2)

The hype around psychedelic therapy has been put to the test, with the publication Wednesday of the largest-ever study of psilocybin to treat depression. The Phase 2 trial found that the drug was effective — it reduced or eliminated symptoms in the short term in more than one-third of patients who took the highest dose — but not as dazzlingly powerful as earlier smaller studies had suggested. (Goldhill, 11/2)

Since the late ’90s, Kathy Wallace has been battling major depression with a series of drugs — first Prozac, then three others, and back again to Prozac. But in the last six months, nothing seemed to be helping. So her psychiatrist recommended something new: Spravato, a nasal spray approved in 2019 that delivers a drug similar to the hallucinogen ketamine. (Palmer, 11/3)