A single dose of a particular psychedelic drug has been found to rapidly reduce symptoms of depression, suggesting a new form of mental health treatment.A UK clinical trial, the results of which were published in the journal Nature Medicine this morning, showed that a dose of the drug dimethyltryptamine (DMT), given with psychological support, rapidly reduced depressive symptoms in 34 adults with major depressive disorder.
Major depressive disorder is a leading cause of global disability, but many people do not respond to existing treatments, which are also associated with several side effects, including sexual dysfunction, weight gain, and sleep disturbance.
Psychedelic drug DMT has been found to relieve severe depression. (Getty)
Psychedelic-assisted therapy, including the use of psilocybin (found in magic mushrooms), has shown promise.
However, the effects of psilocybin last for about two hours, which makes therapeutic sessions overly long and difficult to scale up.
In contrast, DMT is a fast-acting psychedelic drug that, when given intravenously, causes a brief period of subjective psychedelic effects of around 30 minutes.
Psilocybin, found in magic mushrooms, had been previously tested. (AP)
However, whether such a rapid-acting psychedelic could provide similar antidepressant effects to psilocybin had previously been unclear.
In the new study, David Erritzoe and his colleagues in the first stage divided the 34 participants into groups that received either DMT or a placebo, without knowing which.
Two weeks later, all participants received a DMT dose, with therapist support.
After the first fortnight, researchers found those who had received a DMT dose showed a greater reduction in depression scores on a clinical diagnostic tool called the Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale.
The improvements were also apparent after one week.
Twelve weeks after the second phase, the anti-depressant effects lasted for 12 weeks and no difference in depression scores were observed between one-dose and two-dose participants.
Side effects were “mild or moderate”, researchers said, and included injection-site pain, nausea, and temporary anxiety.
While larger studies are needed, the researchers say the results point the way forward for a new method of treating depression, in conjunction with other therapies.
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