Psilocybin Trial Pioneers New Approach to Treating Anxiety

Magic mushrooms to the rescue?

STARTER STATS

• In 2023, 29% of Canadian adults reported experiencing depression, anxiety, or another mental health condition, up from 20% in 2016. 

• The prevalence of generalized anxiety disorder among Canadians doubled between 2012 and 2022, and tripled among girls and young women aged 15-24.

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Canada’s first Health Canada-approved at-home clinical trial of psilocybin non-hallucinogenic microdoses has launched, examining whether microdosing can safely relieve symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD).

With GAD affecting roughly 5% of Canadian adults, researchers hope the study will lead to new, well-tolerated therapeutic options administered at patients' homes. The study is enrolling up to 60 participants across a four-week treatment period, followed by an extension phase or a placebo group.

Traditional treatments are notoriously slow and often cause side effects, diminishing their impact. As a result, alternative treatments like psychedelic microdosing have been gaining traction and increasing research attention.

“This study represents a major shift — a new way of targeting anxiety by engaging the brain in novel ways, but without the sedation or emotional numbing caused by many of the current medications used to treat anxiety.”

— Dr. Claudio Soares, Queen's University & Kingston Health Sciences Centre Research Institute

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