Psychedelic medicine is becoming increasingly popular, and studies have shown promising results for a plethora of conditions. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) may be next. The condition causes “a pattern of unwanted thoughts and fears known as obsessions…[which] lead you to do repetitive behaviors, also called compulsions.”
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The disorder can range in severity, but can be debilitating for many affected by it. Recently, NFL player Braden Smith opened up about how ibogaine and DMT completely turned his OCD symptoms around. Now, a new study shows that psilocybin may be able to do the same.
The University of Hertfordshire and Imperial College conducted a study in which 18 blinded participants with OCD completed two dosing sessions in the span of a month (19 entered the study, but one did not complete all of the assessments). The first dose was 1 mg and the second was 10 mg. Participants were treated in a day-care facility on the day of dosing and were assessed the day before each dose and at random intervals over the 4-week period using the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS) and the Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS).
According to the researchers, both doses appeared to significantly reduce OCD symptoms, but especially the larger one—they found that the 10 mg dose of oral psilocybin was “well tolerated and potentially efficacious in patients with OCD” and that the drug produced a rapid-onset, moderate to large effect on compulsive symptoms. They found that the effect one week after dosing was statistically significant on the compulsion subscale of the Y-BOCS. No effect was detected on the MADRS.
The research was limited by a small sample size and the absence of randomization, but future clinical trials are planned.The researchers noted the unexpectedly high application rate for the study, indicating significant interest for psilocybin in the OCD community.
This is not the first study to indicate that small doses of psychedelic medicine have the potential to provide long-lasting relief for mental health conditions. A recent study by Compass indicated that a single dose of psilocybin reduced depression symptoms by 3.6 percent over a six week period. While the study didn’t cross the threshold that investors were hoping for, the company considers it a success.
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As government officials on all sides continue to back access to psychedelic therapies, hopefully they’ll reach those who would benefit most from them. Right now, efforts are mostly focused on veterans, but it’s becoming increasingly clear that many others could use psilocybin and other psychedelics.