I think a major criticism of how this study is designed is that it is not truly "blinded". I doubt many of the participants were unsure if they received psilocybin vs escitalopram.
This is already a problem for most psychiatric drug trials; studies have found that most people can tell if they’re on an SSRI or in a control group, since the side effects are pretty noticeable.
There is evidence that this skews study results, to the point that some scientists believe that SSRIs may only be “effective” because the obvious side effects make them a good active placebo.
This is already a problem for most psychiatric drug trials; studies have found that most people can tell if they’re on an SSRI or in a control group, since the side effects are pretty noticeable.
There is evidence that this skews study results, to the point that some scientists believe that SSRIs may only be “effective” because the obvious side effects make them a good active placebo.