Magic Nanaimo

A single 25mg dose of psilocybin given alongside structured psychological support rapidly reduced chronic suicidal ideation in 20 treatment-resistant patients with major depression, all of whom had failed at least two prior antidepressants.

Within one week, suicidal ideation scores dropped dramatically. By week 12, 70% of participants had near-complete resolution. Depression scores fell by roughly half.

Effect sizes ranged from 1.46 to 2.11, which is extraordinarily high by psychiatric standards. No serious adverse events occurred.

This was a small, open-label study with no control group, so placebo effects can't be ruled out. But for a population with almost no effective options left, the magnitude and durability of these results are difficult to ignore.

Published in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry (van der Vaart et al., 2026) DOI:10.4088/JCP.26m16338