SynthesisPsychopharmacology2021
Classic serotonergic psychedelics for mood and depressive symptoms: a meta-analysis of mood disorder patients and healthy participants.
Synthesis in Psychopharmacology, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 59 papers, 7 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
59 citing papers in PubMed, 7 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 142 citations in OpenAlex.
- Magnitude of response in treatment and control groups within psychedelic trials for psychiatric disorders: A meta-analysis.European psychiatry : the journal of the Association of European Psychiatrists · 2026Pooled it
- Ketamine-induced altered states of consciousness: a systematic review of implications for therapeutic outcomes in psychiatric practices.European archives of psychiatry and clinical neuroscience · 2025Pooled it
- Efficacy of psilocybin for treating symptoms of depression: systematic review and meta-analysis.BMJ (Clinical research ed.) · 2024Pooled it
- Risk of bias in randomized clinical trials on psychedelic medicine: A systematic review.Journal of psychopharmacology (Oxford, England) · 2023Pooled it
- The Canadian Network for Mood and Anxiety Treatments (CANMAT) Task Force Report: Serotonergic Psychedelic Treatments for Major Depressive Disorder.Canadian journal of psychiatry. Revue canadienne de psychiatrie · 2023Pooled it
- Therapeutic uses of psychedelics for eating disorders and body dysmorphic disorder.Journal of psychopharmacology (Oxford, England) · 2023Pooled it
- Efficacy and Safety of Four Psychedelic-Assisted Therapies for Adults with Symptoms of Depression, Anxiety, and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Journal of psychoactive drugsPooled it
- Rapid and sustained antidepressant effects of vaporized N,N-dimethyltryptamine: a phase 2a clinical trial in treatment-resistant depression.Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology · 2025Trial
- Naturalistic psychedelic therapy: The role of relaxation and subjective drug effects in antidepressant response.Journal of psychopharmacology (Oxford, England) · 2024Trial
- Patient perspectives and experiences with psilocybin treatment for treatment-resistant depression: a qualitative study.Scientific reports · 2024Trial
- Safety, Tolerability, Pharmacokinetics, and Pharmacodynamics of Subcutaneous RE104: A Double-Blind, Randomized, Single Ascending Dose Placebo-Controlled Study.Journal of clinical psychopharmacologyTrial
- [Simultaneous determination of three tryptamines in foods by ultra performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry coupled with hydrophilic column separation].Se pu = Chinese journal of chromatography · 2026Article
- Complete biosynthesis of psychedelic tryptamines from three kingdoms in plants.Science advances · 2026Article
- Comparing psychedelic and meditation experience reports with natural language processing.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Psychedelic use and psychiatric risks.Psychopharmacology · 2025Article
- Classic Psychedelics for the Treatment of Depression: Potential Benefits and Challenges.Drugs · 2025Review
- A systematic review of income and education reporting in psychedelic clinical trials.Nature. Mental health · 2025Article
- Understanding Suicidal Thoughts and Behaviors Among LGBTQ + Youth: Differential Associations Between Bullying and Substance Use.Prevention science : the official journal of the Society for Prevention Research · 2025Article
- Serotonergic Psychedelics Rapidly Modulate Evoked Glutamate Release in Cultured Cortical Neurons.Journal of neurochemistry · 2025Article
- Psychedelics and schizophrenia: a double-edged sword.Molecular psychiatry · 2025Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors at 4 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
rationaleMajor depressive disorder is one of the leading global causes of disability, for which the classic serotonergic psychedelics have recently reemerged as a potential therapeutic treatment option.
objectiveWe present the first meta-analytic review evaluating the clinical effects of classic serotonergic psychedelics vs placebo for mood state and symptoms of depression in both healthy and clinical populations (separately).
resultsOur search revealed 12 eligible studies (n = 257; 124 healthy participants, and 133 patients with mood disorders), with data from randomized controlled trials involving psilocybin (n = 8), lysergic acid diethylamide ([LSD]; n = 3), and ayahuasca (n = 1). The meta-analyses of acute mood outcomes (3 h to 1 day after treatment) for healthy volunteers and patients revealed improvements with moderate significant effect sizes in favor of psychedelics, as well as for the longer-term (16 to 60 days after treatments) mood state of patients. For patients with mood disorder, significant effect sizes were detected on the acute, medium (2-7 days after treatment), and longer-term outcomes favoring psychedelics on the reduction of depressive symptoms.
conclusionDespite the concerns over unblinding and expectancy, the strength of the effect sizes, fast onset, and enduring therapeutic effects of these psychotherapeutic agents encourage further double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trials assessing them for management of negative mood and depressive symptoms.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.