Explore the Schedule

Anecdotal reports suggest that classical psychedelics, including psilocybin, can reduce symptoms in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), but there have been no systematic studies. Up to 1 in 3 patients with OCD do not show meaningful improvement to existing treatments; new treatments are urgently needed. We have embarked on the first placebo-controlled study of psilocybin treatment in individuals with OCD. The study is ongoing, but early results are promising. Here we will orient the audience to the phenomenology of OCD and the limitations of existing treatments, share some early results, and discuss our anecdotal observations of the experiences of those whose symptoms have improved after psilocybin treatment, and those who have not improved. Further work is needed; we are working to complete this first controlled study and are planning a larger follow-up study to more definitively establish whether psilocybin treatment is of benefit in this population and, if so, for whom.