Many people are still claiming that the COVID-19 pandemic wasn’t that bad. Or that it was “fake” because they’re that far down the far-right conspiracy theory rabbit hole. I’d like to point those people in the direction of the many frontline healthcare workers who are still struggling with depression, PTSD, and burnout, and the only way they can get any reprieve is through psilocybin therapy.

A study published in JAMA Network Open by researchers from the University of Washington conducted a clinical trial with 30 healthcare providers. Both doctors and nurses who had been on the front lines of the pandemic for at least a month and were experiencing severe symptoms of depression were provided a single psilocybin dosing session of 25 mg, followed by three therapy sessions to help participants process their trauma. A control group received a placebo of 100 mg of niacin, aka vitamin B3. Why niacin? When a simple shot of vitamin B3 is given at that high of a dose, it causes side effects such as a racing heart and tingling skin that make people think they received psilocybin when they’ve received a harmless vitamin injection.  

Results showed that those who received psilocybin experienced a significant reduction in depression symptoms, while the placebo group had a smaller improvement. Additionally, although both groups reported some relief from burnout, the reduction was more notable in the psilocybin group. The researchers say that the results suggest that psilocybin-assisted therapy could be a helpful option for clinicians who are at their psychological width and dealing with the constant flood of suffering, misery, and death.

According to the researchers, during their therapy sessions, “Clinicians described a sense of betrayal by health systems, leaders, and colleagues; guilt from feeling that they had not been able to do enough; and grief from witnessing innumerable deaths and suffering. The question that repeatedly came up, in different forms, was ‘Do I matter?’” 

Psilocybin therapy helped them work through some of their complex feelings within their professional and personal lives in ways that they hadn’t had the chance to since the pandemic and finally come to terms with what they were able to accomplish for their communities rather than dwelling on what they didn’t.