Author: Dragana Stojić
Psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy for generalized anxiety disorder
Scientists from Monash University in Melbourne, in partnership with the pharmaceutical
company Incannex, conducted a Phase II clinical study investigating the effect of psilocybin-
assisted psychotherapy in treating generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). The research was
conducted from May 2022 to February 2024, involving 73 participants diagnosed with GAD.
Participants were randomly assigned to either the experimental group or the placebo group.
The experimental group received psilocybin treatment on two occasions, while the placebo
group received diphenhydramine, an antihistamine with sedative effects. In both cases,
participants underwent individual psychotherapy consisting of nine sessions with two
qualified psychotherapists. After completing the treatment, all participants were assessed for
anxiety levels using the Hamilton Anxiety Scale, as well as other testing methods, including
various self-assessment tests and measurements of physical symptoms.
Testing results showed a significant reduction in anxiety symptoms for the experimental
group compared to the placebo group, as measured by the Hamilton Anxiety Scale after 11
weeks from the start of the study. As many as 43% of participants who received psilocybin
exhibited significant reductions in anxiety symptoms, compared to 10% in the control group.
Furthermore, 27% of those in the experimental group achieved complete remission of anxiety
symptoms post-treatment, compared to only 5% in the control group.
In addition to efficacy, the study also evaluated the safety of psilocybin as a treatment. Aside
from mild side effects such as headaches and nausea, there were no severe adverse effects
reported. Scientists from the Monash University Psychedelic Clinical Research Laboratory
are conducting further long-term studies on the application of psilocybin in treating anxiety
disorders, as well as its impact on the ability to provide psychotherapy. A publication related
to the aforementioned research is currently being prepared, and additional information can be
found on the Monash University website.
Scientists from Monash University in Melbourne in partnership with the pharmaceutical company Incannex conducted a phase II clinical study in which the effect of psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy in the treatment of generalized anxiety disorder was investigated. The research was conducted in the period from May 2022 to February 2024, and 73 subjects with generalized anxiety disorder took part in it. Subjects selected for participation were randomly assigned to an experimental and a placebo group.
The experimental group received psilocybin treatment on two occasions, while the placebo group received diphenhydramine, an antihistamine with a sedative effect. In both cases, the subjects underwent individual psychotherapy consisting of 9 sessions with two qualified psychotherapists. After completing the entire treatment, all subjects were subjected to an assessment of their anxiety level using the Hamilton Anxiety Scale, as well as other types of testing, including various self-report tests and measurements of physical symptoms.
The test results showed a large and significant reduction in anxiety symptoms in the experimental group compared to the placebo group, which was assessed using the Hamilton Anxiety Scale after 11 weeks from the start of the test. As many as 43% of subjects who received psilocybin showed significant reductions in anxiety symptoms, compared to 10% of subjects in the control group. In addition, 27% of subjects in the experimental group had complete remission of anxiety symptoms after psilocybin treatment, compared to 5% in the control group. In addition to effectiveness, the study evaluated the safety of psilocybin as a treatment, and apart from mild side effects such as headache and nausea, there were no serious side effects. Scientists from Monash University's Psychedelic Clinical Research Laboratory are conducting additional, long-term research into the use of psilocybin in the treatment of anxiety disorders, as well as the effect of psilocybin on the ability to provide psychotherapy.
A publication related to the above-described research is currently being prepared, and additional information about it can be found on the Monash University website.