Vail Health’s Pioneering Study of Psilocybin’s Effects on Depression Kicks off Next Month
In April, Vail Health’s Behavioral Health Innovation Center will kick off the second of two studies aimed at targeting depression. The OPTIMIZE Study will examine the impacts of psilocybin, the active ingredient in psychedelic mushrooms, on people with major depressive disorder.
In preparation for the study, Vail Health held a discussion on the OPTIMIZE Study and the impacts of psilocybin on one woman’s life on Monday, March 3, at Colorado Mountain College Vail Valley at Edwards. Dr. Charles Raison, director of Vail Health’s Behavioral Health Innovation Center, led the discussion with Meghan Bayersdorfer. A recording of the event is available for viewing here.
The OPTIMIZE Study Examines How ‘Macrodosing’ Psilocybin Can Treat Depression
The OPTIMIZE Study will examine how to maximize the results of psilocybin in combating depression, both in impact and length. All 140 study participants will receive a single dose of 25 milligrams of pure psilocybin, regardless of their body size. “It’s a strong, strong dose,” Raison said. This is known as a “macrodose.”
Each participant will take the psilocybin in a room in the Wiegers Mental Health Clinic outfitted like a living room. Two facilitators — one licensed therapist and one person with mental health experience and a bachelor’s degree — will stay with the participant for the entire experience. Participants will be offered an eye mask and music.
“I think it’s incontrovertible that psychedelics are the largest breakthrough in my time as a clinician,” Raison said. In 2023, Raison and his team published the results of a trial they conducted with 104 people diagnosed with depression. Half of the patients received one dose of a synthesized version of psilocybin, while the other half received a placebo. Then, the team measured how depressed the patients were over time. “This is totally different from how we typically do things,” Raison said.
