Magic mushrooms beat leading antidepressant

The psychedelic compound in magic mushrooms may be at least as effective as a leading antidepressant in a therapeutic setting, a study suggests.

Scientists compared the therapeutic potential of psilocybin with a six-week course of escitalopram in 59 people with moderate to severe depression.

While depression scores reduced in both groups, the reductions occurred more quickly in the psilocybin group and were greater in magnitude.

Dr Robin Carhart-harris, the head of the Centre for Psychedelic Research at Imperial College London, said: “Psilocybin performed very favourably in this head-to-head.” The study was in the New England Journal of Medicine.