Psilocybin produces substantial and sustained decreases in depression and anxiety in patients with life-threatening…
Is this kind of supervised, high-dose session relevant to my situation, and what screening ruled people out of this trial?
Well-supported by good-quality research. how we score evidence
Caveat on this rating: Crossover design with a discriminable active dose means most participants likely knew their condition; Heffter-funded investigators are proponents of the therapy.
Phase 3 complete; rolling NDA under FDA review, final module expected Q4 2026. Breakthrough Therapy designation 2018 (TRD) / 2019 (MDD).
In 51 patients with life-threatening cancer and depression/anxiety, a high dose of psilocybin (vs a very low placebo-like dose, crossover) produced large decreases in clinician- and self-rated depression and anxiety, and about 80% of participants still showed clinically significant improvement at 6-month follow-up.
Worth asking
Is this kind of supervised, high-dose session relevant to my situation, and what screening ruled people out of this trial?
Source
Psilocybin produces substantial and sustained decreases in depression and anxiety in patients with life-threatening cancer: A randomized double-blind trial — Griffiths RR, et al. (2016)
Reputable peer-reviewed journal
Read the source: https://doi.org/10.1177/0269881116675513
DOI: 10.1177/0269881116675513
How this was scored
- Study design
- Randomised controlled trial
- Funding
- Independently funded
- Published in
- Reputable peer-reviewed journal
- Sample size
- 51
- Preregistered
- Yes
- Conflicts disclosed
- not recorded
- Independent of proponent
- No
- Retracted
- No
Read the full scoring rubric, including what it can't tell you.
Published August 19, 2026.
Questions
How strong is the evidence behind this?
Resolv rates this source "strong evidence". Well-supported by good-quality research. It scores 70 out of 100 on our published rubric. One caveat travels with that badge: Crossover design with a discriminable active dose means most participants likely knew their condition; Heffter-funded investigators are proponents of the therapy. The score is calculated from recorded facts about the source — study design, funding, publication venue, sample size, preregistration — not typed in by an editor.
What is the source for this?
Psilocybin produces substantial and sustained decreases in depression and anxiety in patients with life-threatening cancer: A randomized double-blind trial — Griffiths RR, et al. (2016). Published in: Reputable peer-reviewed journal. DOI: 10.1177/0269881116675513. The full source is linked on this page so you can read it yourself.
Who paid for this research, and does that matter?
Study design: Randomised controlled trial. Funding: Independently funded. The researchers were not independent of whoever benefits from the result. Industry sponsorship is one of the most reliably measured biases in medicine, which is why funding carries real weight in the score rather than sitting in a footnote.
Is psilocybin FDA approved for this use?
No. Its current status is: Phase 3 trials. Phase 3 complete; rolling NDA under FDA review, final module expected Q4 2026. Breakthrough Therapy designation 2018 (TRD) / 2019 (MDD).
Is this medical advice?
This is information to bring to your prescriber, not medical advice and not a reason to change anything on your own. Nothing here is an instruction to stop or reduce a medication. If you are in crisis, call or text 988.
This is information to bring to your prescriber, not medical advice and not a reason to change anything on your own. Nothing here is an instruction to stop or reduce a medication. If you are in crisis, call or text 988.