В Орегоне подтвердили пользу и безопасность регулируемых сессий с псилоцибином для лечения ментальных расстройств

Oregon state-regulated psilocybin services linked with mental health benefits Key takeaways: - Participating in Oregon state-regulated psilocybin sessions was linked to decreases in depression, anxiety, PTSD and increases in well-being and satisfaction. - The study showed no serious adverse medical events. Amid debates about using psychedelics for mental health and substance use disorders, results from a longitudinal cohort study published in JAMA Network Open show that state-regulated psilocybin services appear safe and beneficial. “When Oregon voters passed a ballot initiative in 2020 to permit state-licensed access to psilocybin services, our group of interdisciplinary researchers talked about the need to learn about the safety and outcomes of this first-in-the-nation initiative,” P. Todd Korthuis, MD, MPH, professor of medicine at the Oregon Health & Science University School of Medicine, told Healio. As part of the Open Psychedelic Evaluation Nexus (OPEN) cohort study, Korthuis and colleagues evaluated participant safety, program satisfaction, psilocybin dose (mg) and recorded outcomes of depression, anxiety, PTSD, mental well-being, quality of life and overall benefit associated with psilocybin administration in state-monitored centers in Oregon,. The researchers recruited 346 individuals (mean age, 49.5 years; 52.5% women; 86.7% white) who received state-regulated services from 24 Oregon centers between November 2024 and March 2026. At baseline, participants noted their interests for engaging in the program, including self-improvement (68.5%); managing mental health symptoms (64.5%); navigating trauma (51.4%); or seeking a greater connection with people, Earth or nature (45.1%). Notably, 44.2% of individuals had not used psychedelics before. Additionally, OPEN participants reported substances used — alcohol (58.7%), cannabis (36.7%) and nicotine or tobacco (11%) — 30 days before the start of the state-regulated psilocybin sessions. During the 1-week follow up, Korthuis and colleagues reported a 93.1% retention rate, with participants receiving a mean psilocybin dose of 31.9 mg (range, 2-50 mg). Retention remained high in subsequent follow-up periods: 92.8% at the 1-month follow-up and 90.2% at the 3-month follow-up. At 1 month, participants described general satisfaction with the state-regulated sessions, endorsing their facilitator (96%) and service center (95.6%) and achieving personal benefits, such as gaining a broader life perspective (89.4%) and accomplishing self-made goals (81.6%). More than half of the participants (58.6%) reported that the experience was meaningful and comparable with other highly valued events in their lives, and 92.2% reported that they benefited from the experience. Although 32.1% said the cost of services posed a financial strain, 81% said it was worth the cost. The study showed decreases in moderate to severe mental health symptoms throughout the experience. Depression symptoms decreased from 42.2% at baseline to 16.5% at the 3-month follow-up (RR = 0.4; 95% CI, 0.32-0.5), and anxiety levels declined from 45.1% to 13.2% (RR = 0.29; 95% CI, 0.22-0.38). Similarly, PTSD symptoms fell from 48% at baseline to 16.8% at 3 months (RR = 0.35; 95% CI, 0.27-0.45). Meanwhile, mean mental well-being scores increased from 22.1 at baseline, to 26.2 at the 1-month follow-up and 25.3 at the 3-month follow-up (mean difference = 3.21; 95% CI, 2.66-3.76). Life satisfaction rates increased from 63% at baseline to 83.4% at 1 month and 82.3% at 3 months (RR = 1.31; 95% CI, 1.19-1.44). The state-regulated sessions demonstrated high safety measures with no serious adverse medical events, although four separate sessions, including one necessitating a healthcare intervention, resulted in serious behavioral adverse reactions. These four individuals had not used psychedelics previously and had enrolled in the program to relieve mental health symptoms unresponsive to other treatment. Overall, a small subset of individuals described the experience as harmful (1 week, 1.6%; 1 month, 1.9%; 3 months; 2.3%). “We were struck by the low incidence of serious adverse reactions,” Korthuis said. Korthuis and colleagues identified limitations encompassing the study’s observational and uncontrolled design and the potential for selection bias. “Oregon-regulated psilocybin services appear to be safe and associated with improved mental health and wellbeing,” Korthuis said. “While promising, these early results need to be confirmed by comparing groups receiving psilocybin services with a control group of people who don’t access state psilocybin services.” For more information: P. Todd Korthuis, MD, MPH, professor of medicine at the Oregon Health & Science University School of Medicine, can be contacted through Erik Robinson at [email protected].