Yet more damaging evidence has emerged against psychedelic treatment, with a comprehensive meta-analysis from UCLA, Imperial College London, and UCSF revealing that magic mushrooms and other substances perform no better than traditional antidepressants.
The findings deliver another significant blow to industry advocates promoting the “psychedelics are medicine” narrative, exposing fundamental flaws in psychedelic therapy that have driven premature enthusiasm for these powerful substances.
Critical Flaws Exposed in Psychedelic Treatment
The study addresses a basic problem plaguing psychedelic therapy: researchers cannot properly “blind” participants because the obvious psychoactive effects make it clear what substance they’re receiving. This “unblinding” significantly affects statistical results and study reliability.
Recognising this endemic issue in psychedelic treatment, the authors compared results with “open-label” antidepressant trials where participants knew they were receiving specific medications.
Substantial Sample Sizes Reveal Troubling Results
The researchers examined eight psychedelic therapy studies involving nearly 550 participants alongside 16 antidepressant trials covering almost 9,800 participants. These substantial sample sizes make the results particularly concerning for advocates.
According to the pre-print: “Contrary to prior hypothesis, PAT was no more effective than open-label traditional antidepressant treatment… PAT’s lack of superiority compared to traditional antidepressants under equal-unblinding conditions highlights the influence of blinding integrity and presents a sobering viewpoint on the treatment’s potential.”
Industry Claims Undermined
This result fundamentally undermines promotional claims made by what the original researchers termed “shroom salesmen.” The evidence advocates previously cited was already problematic, plagued by small sample sizes, conflicts of interest, and methodological issues.
The new analysis suggests that apparent efficacy in psychedelic treatment stems from “unblinding” effects rather than genuine therapeutic benefits from the substances themselves.
Urgent Need to Halt Premature Implementation
These findings provide yet another compelling reason to halt efforts to fast-track these dangerous, powerful, and potentially life-altering substances into medical treatments.
The concerning results from this rigorous psychedelic therapy analysis highlight the risks of rushing experimental treatments into clinical practice without proper scientific validation.
Given the mounting evidence against efficacy claims, authorities must exercise extreme caution before approving psychedelic treatment applications for mainstream medical use, particularly given the vulnerable nature of patients seeking depression treatment.(Source: WRD News)