Living Review of 15 Trials Maps What We Know About Psilocybin for Depression

How strong, really, is the evidence for psilocybin in depression? A team of researchers has answered with something better than a one-off paper: a living systematic review and open-data resource in Nature Mental Health that continuously aggregates every randomized controlled trial of psilocybin for depressive symptoms.

What the first release contains

The initial database covers 15 randomized trials with 801 participants, 12 of them suitable for meta-analysis. The pooled result confirms what individual trials suggested: psilocybin with psychological support produces a statistically significant, clinically meaningful reduction in depressive symptoms compared with control conditions.

Why a "living" review matters

Psychedelic research is moving faster than traditional evidence synthesis. By the time a conventional meta-analysis is published, new trials have already landed. A living review updates as studies appear, giving clinicians, regulators and patients a current, single source of truth — and because the underlying data is open, anyone can check the math.

What the review cannot settle yet

• How much of the effect comes from the drug versus the bundled therapy
• How blinding problems inflate measured benefits
• How long benefits last and who is most likely to relapse

Those questions are exactly what the ongoing Phase 3 programs — including the uAspire trial — are designed to answer. Until then, the living review is the clearest window into a fast-moving field.