Psilocybin microdosing does not reduce anxiety or depression according to placebo-controlled study
Consuming small doses of psilocybin at regular intervals — a process known as microdosing — does not appear to improve symptoms of depression or anxiety, according to new research published in the Journal of Psychopharmacology. The study, “Psilocybin microdosing does not affect emotion-related symptoms and processing: A preregistered field and lab-based study“, was published at the end of last year (December, 2021).
The placebo-controlled study casts doubt on claims that microdosing psychedelic drugs can improve mental health.
Preliminary research has indicated that microdosing psychedelic drugs is also associated with a range of psychological benefits, such as increased productivity and reduced stress. In one study, nearly 80% of individuals who microdosed with psychedelic reported improvements in their mental health.
Background
Microdoses of psychedelics (i.e. a sub-hallucinogenic dose taken every third day) can reduce symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress according to anecdotal reports and observational studies. Research with medium to high doses of psilocybin points towards potential underlying mechanisms, including the modulation of emotion and interoceptive processing.
Method
In this preregistered study, it was investigated as to whether psilocybin microdoses alter self-reported interoceptive awareness. The study also sought to ascertain whether repeated microdosing over 3 weeks modulates emotion processing and reduces symptoms of anxiety and depression.
A double-blind, placebo-controlled, within-subject crossover design was utilised. Participants completed the Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness Questionnaire 1½ h after self-administering their second dose (or placebo). Participants then completed the emotional go/no-go task and the shortened Depression Anxiety Stress Scale 1½ h after self-administering their seventh dose.
Conclusion
The results were that confirmatory analyses revealed that psilocybin microdosing did not affect emotion processing. Nor did the microdosing affect symptoms of anxiety and depression compared with placebo. However, there were several key limitations to the study that may have impacted on the outcome. These limitations may have been selection bias in the study group (they were self-referred from a microdosing workshop. Other limitations included previous psychedelic use (so may have broken blind early or been desensitised), and dosage queries, as the exact amounts of psilocybin consumed were uncertain. It is possible that the degree of psilocybin content varied across participants, and thereby obscured the results. There was also a large-drop out rate and poor compliance.
For the full article click on this link here - https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/02698811211050556
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