By Jay Dellinger, Publisher

For millions of Americans struggling with depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), addiction and other mental health conditions, finding an effective treatment can be a difficult and sometimes frustrating journey. Modern medicine has made tremendous progress but what happens when conventional treatments simply aren't enough? What if researchers are discovering new possibilities that could change how we approach mental health treatment? Some of the findings coming from respected universities and medical institutions are raising questions that deserve serious attention.

Scientists at institutions such as Johns Hopkins and Yale are investigating substances that have been surrounded by controversy for decades. Among them are psilocybin and LSD, compounds now being studied for their potential to help people with certain mental health disorders. While the research is still developing, some clinical trials have produced encouraging results. This raises an important question: Have we overlooked potentially valuable treatments because of their history and reputation? I believe the scientific evidence deserves a closer look before we make that judgment.

What is psilocybin and why are researchers interested?

Psilocybin is found naturally in certain mushrooms. Once in the body, it is converted to psilocin and affects serotonin signaling in the brain. The National Institutes of Health's National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health describes the growing research into psilocybin for mental health and addiction. Scientists are studying whether supervised treatment can help interrupt patterns of thought and emotion that are difficult to change. Researchers are also examining changes in brain activity and connectivity. You may have heard claims that psilocybin 'resets the brain.' That makes a good headline but the science has not established anything quite that simple.

There is an important difference between a clinical trial and someone experimenting at home. In research settings, participants are screened in advance, given a measured dose, monitored for hours and offered follow-up support. That level of care is part of what is being studied. It should not be left out when discussing the results.

Depression: the evidence is becoming harder to ignore

Let's start with depression because some of the most convincing studies have focused on it. In a 2020 Johns Hopkins University study of psilocybin treatment for major depression, 24 people received two supervised sessions. Four weeks later, 71% had reached the study's response threshold and 54% were in remission. The same Johns Hopkins research team's 2022 follow-up reported that 75% met the response definition and 58% were in remission after 12 months. Those are encouraging numbers. But 24 people are not enough to tell us how well a treatment will work in the general population and there was no untreated comparison group throughout the follow-up period.

A larger 2022 trial by Goodwin and colleagues, published in The New England Journal of Medicine under the title 'Single-Dose Psilocybin for a Treatment-Resistant Episode of Major Depression,' involved 233 patients. Three weeks after treatment, depression scores fell by an average of 12 points among people given 25 milligrams of psilocybin. The group given a one-milligram comparison dose improved by 5.4 points. The higher dose produced a statistically significant benefit but side effects including headaches and nausea were common. A separate 2023 randomized study by Raison and colleagues, published in JAMA, involved 104 people and also reported improvement.

GRAPH 1 — Depression symptom-score improvement in one randomized study. The comparisons are between doses within that trial.

By February 2026, Compass Pathways had announced favorable results from two phase 3 trials involving its synthetic psilocybin treatment for treatment-resistant depression. That is worth watching because large trials are needed before a medication can be approved. But the company's phase 3 research announcements should not be confused with a completed independent assessment or an FDA approval.

What about OCD?

OCD is more than being neat or wanting things done a certain way. For some people it means unwanted thoughts that keep coming back and repetitive behaviors they feel compelled to perform. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) clinical guidelines recommend established approaches such as exposure and response prevention (ERP) therapy and medications including SSRIs. Still, some patients continue to struggle even after trying established treatments. That is why this research matters.

Back in 2006, Francisco Moreno and colleagues at the University of Arizona published 'Safety, Tolerability, and Efficacy of Psilocybin in 9 Patients With Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder' in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry. It reported possible short-term improvement among nine participants. In March 2026, Moreno's team published 'A Randomized Clinical Trial of Repeated Doses of Psilocybin for the Treatment of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder' in the Journal of Psychopharmacology. The newer study included 15 participants. After the full research protocol, 73.3% met the study's response threshold and 40% met its remission criteria at eight weeks. Before anyone calls that a breakthrough cure, remember the sample size: just 15 people. The final percentages followed multiple sessions and cannot tell us what would happen in a large clinical population. Researchers themselves called for further studies.

GRAPH 2 — OCD outcomes from a 15-person pilot study. These results are preliminary and are not proof of effectiveness in a larger population.

Yale Medicine has also registered a double-blind, placebo-controlled study called 'Neural Correlates of the Effects of Psilocybin in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder,' looking at symptoms and brain activity. That kind of research is exactly what we need. It may help answer not only whether symptoms improve but how long any benefit lasts and which patients, if any, are most likely to benefit.

PTSD: a small study involving veterans

Researchers at Ohio State University, led by Armstrong and colleagues, published a pilot study in the journal Communications Medicine in July 2026 involving 12 veterans with severe, treatment-resistant PTSD. Following psychotherapy and two supervised psilocybin sessions, nine of the 12 met remission criteria one month later. That result caught my attention. It is also important to understand that everyone knew what treatment was being given and there was no comparison group. We cannot assume the same outcome would occur in a larger trial.

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs announced another research step on August 5, 2026: its PIVOT multicenter randomized psilocybin study for veterans with treatment-resistant depression, including those who also have PTSD. The VA has been clear that psychedelic drugs are still experimental and should not replace treatments already supported by evidence.

LSD is being studied too

LSD is often mentioned only in connection with the counterculture of the 1960s. But researchers are asking a medical question about it as well. In 2025, the medical journal JAMA published 'Single Treatment With MM120 (Lysergide) in Generalized Anxiety Disorder: A Randomized Clinical Trial.' It studied 198 adults using a pharmaceutical LSD formulation called MM120. At 12 weeks, 65% of patients who received the 100-microgram dose met the study's response criteria compared with 30.8% who received a placebo. Remission rates were 47.5% and 20.5%. Participants received extensive supervision. Those results deserve attention but they do not make street LSD safe or establish an approved anxiety treatment.

GRAPH 3 — Response and remission in a controlled LSD study for generalized anxiety. These are study-defined clinical outcomes.

Research goes beyond depression and anxiety

Alcohol addiction is another area investigators are examining. In a 2022 JAMA Psychiatry randomized study led by Michael Bogenschutz involving 95 adults with alcohol use disorder, heavy drinking accounted for 9.7% of days in the group receiving psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy. The comparison group receiving psychotherapy and an active placebo recorded heavy drinking on 23.6% of days. In plain English, the psilocybin group had fewer heavy-drinking days. It does not mean that 90.3% of those patients were cured.

A Johns Hopkins-led study titled 'Psilocybin or Nicotine Patch for Smoking Cessation: A Pilot Randomized Clinical Trial,' published in JAMA Network Open in March 2026, also reported a sizable difference. At six months, 40.5% of participants assigned to psilocybin plus cognitive behavioral therapy had achieved prolonged, biologically verified abstinence from smoking. The figure was 10% among participants assigned to nicotine patches and the same behavioral therapy. The study enrolled 82 smokers and was not blinded. I would like to see those findings repeated in larger trials before drawing firm conclusions.

GRAPH 4 — Smoking abstinence at six months. Both study groups also received behavioral therapy.

The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health also summarizes research on psychedelic treatment of distress connected with serious illness and the end of life. ADHD is a different question. Despite the attention given to microdosing, the placebo-controlled psilocybin microdosing studies published in 2026 have not established dependable improvements in attention or thinking compared with placebo. We should not tell families that psilocybin is a proven ADHD treatment. It isn't. The same caution applies to claims that small doses routinely cure OCD or depression.

Can psilocybin do better than an SSRI?

This may be the comparison most people want to know about. In 2021, Robin Carhart-Harris and colleagues published 'Trial of Psilocybin versus Escitalopram for Depression' in The New England Journal of Medicine. The study compared psilocybin with the antidepressant escitalopram in 59 people with depression. Both groups received psychological support. Six weeks later, average depression scores had improved by eight points in the psilocybin group and six in the escitalopram group. Although several secondary results favored psilocybin, the difference in the study's main measurement was not statistically significant. 

GRAPH 5 — Depression-score change in a direct psilocybin-versus-escitalopram trial. The primary comparison was not statistically significant.

SSRIs including sertraline, fluoxetine and escitalopram have helped many patients over decades of use. They can also bring difficult side effects and they don't work for everyone. For OCD, the NICE clinical guidelines continue to recommend ERP therapy and SSRIs as established treatments. I do not see a reason to turn this into a battle between conventional medicine and psychedelic research. If careful studies eventually show that another treatment is safe and effective, why wouldn't we want patients and their doctors to have that option?

The contradiction in how we treat different drugs

Consider some medicines already on the market. FDA drug information distinguishes Adderall, which contains mixed amphetamine salts, from prescription methamphetamine used under the brand name Desoxyn for ADHD. Morphine is derived from the opium poppy and used for severe pain. The FDA also recognizes a limited medical role for cocaine as a local anesthetic. Ketamine is used as an anesthetic and the related medicine esketamine is FDA-approved for treatment-resistant depression under strict controls. None of that means these substances are harmless. It means the medical value of a drug depends on its formulation, dose, purpose and risks.

Psilocybin and LSD, meanwhile, remain Schedule I substances under federal law. That category reflects a legal determination of no currently accepted medical use and carries tight restrictions. It does not mean research is impossible. And it does not answer what the evidence might show about a future prescription product that goes through proper testing.

What changed in Washington this April?

On April 18, 2026, President Donald Trump signed an executive order aimed at accelerating the development and review of some experimental treatments for serious mental illness. The White House released a fact sheet describing the order. On April 24, the Food and Drug Administration announced steps intended to support research and regulatory review involving psilocybin for depression and related experimental compounds for PTSD. The order also addressed possible rescheduling reviews for specific products that successfully complete the approval process.

I consider that a meaningful opening for science. But readers should understand exactly what did and did not happen. The order did not legalize psilocybin or LSD. It did not allow doctors everywhere to prescribe them. As of October 13, 2026, neither drug is FDA-approved for psychiatric treatment. Research still has to establish safety and effectiveness.

Oregon and Colorado are trying another approach

According to the Oregon Health Authority, Oregon has licensed psilocybin service centers for adults 21 and older. Participants complete preparation and supervised administration with licensed facilitators and have access to integration services afterward. They do not need a prescription or a mental health diagnosis. That is a regulated service program, not FDA-approved medical treatment.

Colorado has also established a regulated natural-medicine program after voters approved a measure in 2022. The Colorado Natural Medicine Division oversees licensed healing centers and the state licenses facilitators. I think these programs are worth watching, especially for what they can teach us about access and oversight. But neither state's law proves psilocybin is an effective treatment for any particular disorder.

A promising treatment still has to prove itself

The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health cautions that there are real risks. Psychedelics can cause intense anxiety, confusion, nausea and temporary increases in heart rate or blood pressure. People with psychotic disorders and some bipolar conditions may be especially vulnerable. Researchers also have to consider medication interactions, the possibility that trial participants know which treatment they received and the expense of providing hours of supervised care. These issues are part of the research, not details we can ignore.

Here is where I stand. I do not believe a treatment should be rejected because of its reputation or because politicians decided decades ago that it had no medical value. At the same time, I would never tell someone with depression, OCD or PTSD that a few encouraging studies amount to a cure. Patients deserve something better than promises. They deserve reliable evidence and qualified medical care.

If research eventually shows that psilocybin or LSD can safely help people who have not benefited from existing treatment, we should be prepared to follow that evidence. If trials fail, we should acknowledge that too. The point is not to declare these drugs good or bad before the science is finished. The point is to give science the opportunity to answer the question.

In Conclusion: What Have We Learned From the Research So Far?

After reviewing the scientific studies discussed in this article, several findings stand out. Researchers have reported encouraging results involving psilocybin and LSD in the treatment of certain mental health conditions. While these substances have not been established as cures, the findings raise important questions about their potential medical benefits.

Here is a recap of what the studies actually found.

DEPRESSION — PSILOCYBIN

In a Johns Hopkins study, 71% of participants experienced significant improvement in their depression symptoms four weeks after treatment and 54% reached remission.

A separate study involving 233 patients found that depression scores improved by an average of 12 points among those receiving a higher dose of psilocybin compared with 5.4 points among those receiving a very low comparison dose after three weeks.

OBSESSIVE-COMPULSIVE DISORDER (OCD) — PSILOCYBIN

In a small 2026 study involving 15 participants, approximately 73% experienced a significant reduction in OCD symptoms after eight weeks of treatment. Additionally, 40% met the study's remission criteria.

Because all participants eventually received psilocybin, these final results were not a direct comparison against placebo.

POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER (PTSD) — PSILOCYBIN

In a study involving 12 military veterans with severe PTSD, nine participants, or 75%, no longer met the diagnostic criteria for PTSD one month after completing supervised treatment.

This was a small preliminary study without a placebo group.

GENERALIZED ANXIETY DISORDER — LSD

In a clinical trial involving 198 adults, 65% of participants receiving a particular dose of a pharmaceutical form of LSD experienced a significant improvement in anxiety symptoms compared with approximately 31% receiving a placebo.

Nearly 48% of those receiving that LSD dose reached remission compared with approximately 21% in the placebo group after 12 weeks.

ALCOHOL USE DISORDER — PSILOCYBIN

In a study involving 95 adults, participants assigned to psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy reported heavy drinking on approximately 9.7% of days during the study compared with 23.6% of days among those assigned to psychotherapy with a comparison medication.

The results suggest a possible benefit in reducing heavy drinking.

SMOKING CESSATION — PSILOCYBIN

In a 2026 study involving 82 smokers, approximately 41% of participants receiving psilocybin with behavioral therapy achieved verified prolonged abstinence from smoking after six months.

By comparison, 10% of those receiving nicotine patches with behavioral therapy achieved the same outcome.

DEPRESSION — PSILOCYBIN COMPARED WITH A CONVENTIONAL ANTIDEPRESSANT

In a six-week clinical study involving 59 patients with depression, those receiving psilocybin experienced an average eight-point improvement in depression symptom scores compared with a six-point improvement among those taking escitalopram, a commonly prescribed antidepressant.

Although the average improvement was two points greater with psilocybin, the difference was not statistically significant. Researchers therefore could not confidently conclude that either treatment was more effective than the other.

WHAT DOES ALL THIS MEAN?

Looking at these findings together, there is reason to continue investigating the potential medical benefits of psilocybin and LSD.

Several studies reported substantial improvements in symptoms. Some found better outcomes than comparison treatments while others demonstrated promising results without a direct placebo comparison.

However, many of these studies involved relatively small numbers of participants. Researchers still need larger clinical trials to determine how effective these treatments may be, how long improvements last and which patients are most likely to benefit.

The percentages from different studies should not be directly compared because the studies examined different conditions and measured different outcomes.

These findings also came from carefully monitored research settings involving professional supervision and, in many cases, psychological support.

The evidence does not establish that psychedelic substances are cures or that they should replace existing medical treatments.

Nevertheless, the findings raise an important question: If continued scientific research demonstrates that these substances can safely and effectively help people who have struggled to find relief through conventional treatments, shouldn't the medical community be willing to consider them?

In my opinion, the answer is yes.

The goal should never be to promote a particular substance. It should be to follow reliable scientific evidence wherever it leads and determine whether new treatment options could improve the lives of people struggling with mental health conditions.

Research and original sources

The research and official guidance cited in this opinion article are linked below by study or organization name.

National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health — Psilocybin for Mental Health and Addiction

Johns Hopkins Medicine — Psilocybin treatment for major depression (2020)

Johns Hopkins Medicine — Follow-up on depression outcomes after one year (2022)

Goodwin and colleagues — Single-Dose Psilocybin for a Treatment-Resistant Episode of Major Depression, New England Journal of Medicine (2022)

Raison and colleagues — Randomized psilocybin trial for major depressive disorder, JAMA (2023)

Compass Pathways — Company update on phase 3 trials (2026)

Moreno and colleagues — A Randomized Clinical Trial of Repeated Doses of Psilocybin for the Treatment of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Journal of Psychopharmacology (2026)

Yale Medicine — Neural Correlates of the Effects of Psilocybin in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Armstrong and colleagues — Psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy study in veterans with PTSD, Communications Medicine (2026)

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs — Announcement of PIVOT clinical trial (2026)

Robison and colleagues — Single Treatment With MM120 (Lysergide) in Generalized Anxiety Disorder: A Randomized Clinical Trial, JAMA (2025)

Johnson and colleagues — Psilocybin or Nicotine Patch for Smoking Cessation: A Pilot Randomized Clinical Trial, JAMA Network Open (2026)

Bogenschutz and colleagues — Psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy for alcohol use disorder, JAMA Psychiatry (2022)

Placebo-controlled psilocybin microdosing research (2026)

Carhart-Harris and colleagues — Trial of Psilocybin versus Escitalopram for Depression, New England Journal of Medicine (2021)

NICE — Obsessive-compulsive disorder clinical guideline

U.S. Food and Drug Administration — April 2026 action on experimental mental health treatments

The White House — April 2026 executive-order fact sheet

Oregon Health Authority — Oregon Psilocybin Services

Colorado Natural Medicine Division — State healing center regulation

University of Michigan — History and research into therapeutic psychedelics

Dan Baum — Legalize It All, Harper's (2016)

Wayne Hall — Why Was Early Therapeutic Research on Psychedelic Drugs Abandoned?, Psychological Medicine (2021)

U.S. Food and Drug Administration — ADHD medications including amphetamine and methamphetamine

U.S. Food and Drug Administration — Ketamine product oversight

University of Michigan — Scientific and regulatory history of psychedelic research

CNN — Ehrlichman family response to Nixon drug-policy allegations (2016)

Moreno and colleagues — Safety, Tolerability, and Efficacy of Psilocybin in 9 Patients With Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Journal of Clinical Psychiatry (2006)

U.S. Food and Drug Administration — Cocaine hydrochloride solution products

Important Medical and Safety Disclaimer

This article is intended solely to inform the public about scientific research and findings reported by universities, medical institutions and government agencies. The Lincoln Herald and its publisher do not recommend, encourage or endorse the personal or recreational use of psilocybin, LSD or any other psychedelic substance.

These substances could carry potential health and legal risks and should not be used for self-treatment or personal experimentation. Any investigational treatment should be conducted only under appropriate medical supervision and within legally authorized and regulated settings.

The information presented is for educational and journalistic purposes only and should not be considered medical advice or a recommendation to begin, discontinue or change any treatment. Anyone seeking help for a mental health condition should consult a qualified, licensed healthcare professional. Our purpose is to report the scientific evidence and encourage informed discussion, not to promote the use of these substances.