EPIsoDE study published in JAMA Psychiatry: Psilocybin shows effects in treatment-resistant depression

MIND Foundation supports knowledge transfer and clinical professionalization as part of a seven-year collaboration with the Central Institute of Mental Health.

BERLIN / MANNHEIM, March 19, 2026 - 12:15 p.m.

For more than 30 percent of people with depression, available medications do not work satis-factorily. The results of the EPIsoDE study ("Efficacy and Safety of Psilocybin in Treatment-Resistant Major Depression"), now published in JAMA Psychiatry, provide further evidence that psilocybin, in combination with psychotherapy, can have a significant antidepressant ef-fect--even in the long term. Implementing this form of therapy requires close integration of research, clinical practice, and training.

Results of the EPIsoDE study: A nuanced perspective
The study, led by Prof. Dr. med. Gerhard Gruender of the Central Institute of Mental Health (ZI) in Mannheim, examined the efficacy and safety of psilocybin in combination with short-term psychotherapy in a total of 144 patients with treatment-resistant depression in Mannheim (ZI) and Berlin (Charit? - Universitaetsmedizin Berlin). Although the primary endpoint--response to therapy six weeks after the first dose--was not statistically significant compared to place-bo, the data show a clinically significant antidepressant effect:

- Secondary endpoints: After six weeks, depressive symptoms in the 25-mg group were reduced by an average of 4.6 points on the HAMD scale more than in the placebo group.
- Long-term effect: Twelve weeks after all participants had received a high dose, symp-toms decreased significantly across all groups by an average of 7.5 points.
- Safety: The safety profile is generally considered good, provided the treatment is em-bedded in close psychotherapeutic follow-up and aftercare.

Seven Years of Collaboration: Science and Societal Impact

Since 2019, the MIND Foundation and Prof. Dr. med. Gerhard Gruender, Head of the Depart-ment of Molecular Neuroimaging at the ZI, have maintained a close partnership. They work together on the third pillar of university work: knowledge and technology transfer, societal engagement, and academic continuing education.
"Together, we have handled the translation of research findings into clinical care and educa-tion even before psilocybin's approval, in order to address the growing crisis in depressive disorders," said Dr. Henrik Jungaberle, Co-Executive Director of the MIND Foundation.

From Research to Clinical Care: OVID Clinics in Berlin

A concrete result of this knowledge transfer is the OVID Clinic Berlin, led by Dr. Andrea Jun-gaberle. Since 2021, hundreds of patients have been treated there with standard psychiatric care and--if clinically indicated--with ketamine-augmented psychotherapy. As the only pri-vate clinic in Europe to date, OVID also holds a compassionate use license for psilocybin treatment of treatment-resistant depression (TRD).

Advanced Training in Augmented Psychotherapy (APT)

A central component of the collaboration is the APT continuing education program. To date, approximately 200 physicians and psychotherapists have been trained as multipliers. The eighth cohort will begin on November 7, 2026.
The combination of neurobiological mechanisms of action, the subjective phenomenology of psychedelics, and empirical psychotherapy research could foster a substantial shift in the treatment of mental illness: away from long-term medication and toward a biopsychosocial approach in which pharmacologically supported salutogenesis triggers long-term processes of change.

Focus of the MIND Foundation

Over the next few years, the MIND Foundation will focus on the following priorities:

1. Specific mechanisms of action: In addition to neurobiological processes, the aim is to better understand the significance of subjective phenomenology, various contexts, and the interaction with general mechanisms of action in psychotherapy in order to formu-late specific mechanisms of action for psychedelic therapy.

2. Public Health System: Led by Prof. Gruender and supported by the Federal Agency for Leap Innovations (SPRIND), the MIND Foundation is aiming to conduct a Phase III/HTA study to bring psilocybin-augmented therapy (PAT) into standard health insurance coverage. Additional partners are actively being sought for funding and implementa-tion.

3. Clinical continuing education and an expanded patient journey: We aim to expand the APT curriculum and supplement it with a program for non-clinical target groups, in-cluding former patients. The focus is on lifelong learning, harm reduction, and saluto-genesis (a process of resilience development). A planned prospective 10-year study aims to provide data on safety, long-term effects, and supportive contexts.

About the MIND Foundation

The MIND Foundation is a nonprofit science and education organization that advances the integration of psychedelics into therapy and lifelong human development. MIND conducts research, trains therapists, and develops evidence-based frameworks for the use of psyche-delics and contemplative practices. Building on the concept of a rational "culture of con-sciousness" rooted in contemporary philosophy of mind, the organization integrates empirical third-person and first-person perspectives--the latter in the tradition of phenomenology--to support responsible transformation in mental health care.

Press Contacts

MIND Foundation
Dr. sc. hum. Henrik Jungaberle
mind-foundation.org | press@mind-foundation.org
Phone +49 30 29048829
Central Institute for Mental Health (ZI)
Torsten Lauer | presse@zi-mannheim.de

Further information: www.zi-mannheim.de/episode

Current EPIsoDE Publication

Mertens LJ, Koslowski M, Betzler F. et al. Efficacy and safety of psilocybin in treatment-resistant major depression: the EPISODE randomized clinical trial. JAMA Psychiatry. Pub-lished online March 18, 2026. doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2026.0132

More about the study
The original publication, along with supplementary materials and information, can be found at: www.zi-mannheim.de/episode

MIND Foundation gGmbH
Boxhagener Str. 78
10245 Berllin
Germany

https://mind-foundation.org

Herr Dr. sc. hum.Henrik Jungaberle
+493029048829

Henrik.Jungaberle@mind-foundation.org

The MIND Foundation is a nonprofit scientific and educational organization that promotes the integration of psychedelics into therapy and lifelong human development. MIND conducts research, trains therapists, and develops evidence-based frameworks for the use of psychedelics and contemplative practices. Building on the concept of a rational "culture of consciousness" rooted in contemporary philosophy of mind, the organization integrates empirical third-person and first-person perspectives--the latter in the tradition of phenomenology--to support responsible transformation in mental health care.

This release was published on openPR.