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Single dose of DMT could help treat depression (www.theguardian.com)

submitted 7 months ago by tomiant@piefed.social to c/science@mander.xyz

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People with major depressive disorder can see a rapid and lasting improvement after a single dose of the psychedelic drug dimethyltryptamine (DMT) when it is combined with psychotherapy, doctors have said.

A small clinical trial involving 34 people found that psychedelic-assisted therapy prompted a swift reduction in depressive symptoms that endured long after the drug had worn off, with some still feeling the benefits six months later.

“There is an immediate antidepressant effect that is significantly sustained over a three-month period and that’s exciting because this is one session with a drug, embedded in psychological support,” said Dr David Erritzoe, a psychiatrist at Imperial College London and lead investigator on the trial.

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[–] emmanuel_car@fedia.io 2 points 7 months ago

One half received a single 21.5mg dose of DMT infused into a vein over 10 minutes. The other half received a placebo infused the same way. All of the participants had psychotherapy and follow-up assessments.

Patients given DMT improved significantly compared with the placebo group, as measured by scores on a standard depression questionnaire, with the antidepressant effects lasting from three to six months.

The DMT definitely has an impact, I guess you would need to go digging through the research to find the results of the questionnaire to compare both groups.