Oregon study tracks mental health changes after regulated psilocybin services

Researchers studied 346 clients who used Oregon’s regulated psilocybin services between November 2024 and March 2026. The study included clients at 24 of the 26 Oregon service centers that had active licenses at the time.

Participants completed confidential online surveys before their session and again one week, one month, and three months later. Licensed facilitators reported the amount of psilocybin used and any safety events during sessions. The researchers measured symptoms of depression, anxiety, and PTSD, along with mental well-being, life satisfaction, perceived harms, and whether participants felt they benefited.

Most participants remained in the study through the final follow-up. Of 346 people enrolled, 322 completed the one-week survey, 321 completed the one-month survey, and 312 completed the three-month survey.

At three months, the proportion of participants reporting moderate-to-severe depression symptoms was lower than at the start of the study. The relative risk was 0.40, meaning the reported proportion was about 60% lower than at baseline. The reported proportion with moderate-to-severe anxiety symptoms was also lower, with a relative risk of 0.29. For PTSD symptoms, the relative risk was 0.35.

Participants also reported higher scores for mental well-being and life satisfaction at three months. Mental well-being rose by an average of 3.21 points on the Short Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale, a questionnaire used to assess positive mental health.

At one month, 296 of 321 participants, or 92.2%, said they felt they had benefited. Also at one month, 188 participants, or 58.6%, ranked the experience among the 10 most meaningful of their lives.

Safety events were uncommon, but they did occur. Four people, all new to psychedelics, had behavioral reactions that required medical attention. At three months, 7 of 312 participants, or 2.3%, said the experience had been harmful. The abstract describes serious adverse reactions as uncommon, while noting their rate was statistically significant.

This study offers a look at what happened in a real-world, state-regulated program rather than in a tightly controlled clinical trial. That matters because Oregon’s model uses licensed service centers and facilitators, not standard medical treatment programs.

But the design has important limits. There was no control group of similar people who did not receive psilocybin services. That means the study cannot separate the possible effects of the service from other influences, such as changes in life circumstances, expectations, or other support people may have received.

The participants also were not representative of all Oregonians. Most were White, more than three-quarters had completed college, and 29.0% reported household income above $200,000. Future research would need to include more diverse groups and compare outcomes with a suitable control group to better test benefits and harms.