Psilocybin plus mindfulness shows promise for healthcare worker depression

Frontline healthcare workers struggling with depression after the COVID-19 pandemic experienced significant relief from a treatment combining psilocybin group therapy with mindfulness training, according to a new study from Huntsman Mental Health Institute at University of Utah Health. Doctors and nurses who received this controlled, group psilocybin therapy along with an eight-week Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction program saw far greater improvements than those who only learned mindfulness techniques.

"Depression and burnout have long been serious problems for healthcare workers. When the pandemic only worsened these effects, we felt it was crucial to try something different to understand how we can help this group of individuals who are dedicated to helping others."

Benjamin Lewis, MD Associate professor of psychiatry at University of Utah

The study, which originally appeared in PLOS Medicine, included 25 healthcare workers who worked directly with COVID patients and were battling both depression and burnout. A select group of healthcare workers were administered a single dose of psilocybin in a controlled clinical setting along with 8 weeks of mindfulness training while the other half completed the mindfulness training alone.

For those that were treated with the combination therapy, the group’s depression scores dropped by more than twice as much as the meditation-only group in addition to feeling less emotionally exhausted and more connected to themselves and others.

Nearly half (46%) of healthcare workers who received psilocybin alongside mindfulness techniques were free of depression at two weeks, compared to just 8% who only learned mindfulness practices.

Most psilocybin studies are expensive and hard to scale up as they use two therapists per patient with individual sessions. This study delivered treatment in groups instead, creating an easier path towards scaling and a more accessible option for healthcare workers looking for relief.

To learn more about the study, read here:
https://journals.plos.org/plosmedicine/article?id=10.1371/journal.pmed.1004519 

To learn more about psychedelic research at Huntsman Mental Health Institute, read here: 
https://medicine.utah.edu/psychiatry/research/labs/upsi

For an overview of group format psilocybin trials, see TEDx presentation here:
https://www.ted.com/talks/benjamin_lewis_could_psychedelics_help_patients_in_therapy

If you or someone you know is struggling with depression, burnout, or another mental health crisis, call or text 988 or visit the Huntsman Mental Health Institute Crisis Care Center at 955 West 3300 South in South Salt Lake.