Investigating the role microdosing psychedelics could have in the treatment of depression

Abstract: The practise of microdosing certain psychedelic drugs, that is consuming doses below thethreshold of experiencing psychedelic side effects, is increasing in popularity. Microdosing ismainly practised to reach the positive side effects of psychedelic drugs, mainly for themood-enhancing and antidepressant effects without having to experience the psychedelic sideof the drug. In this systematic literature review we searched the literature to explore howmicrodosing can be used as an alternative treatment for treatment of depression. While theliterature indicates that microdosing psychedelics could be useful in treatment of depression,there are also clear limitations in the published research. The main limitations include bias,uneven distribution of gender, excludment of participants with a history of mental illnesses,heterogeneity of dosing schedules. This results in contradictory findings. Experimentalstudies show no effects on depression, whereas qualitative and observational studies showpositive effects regarding depression and positive lifestyle changes. This review provides anoverview of the field today and provides a useful base for future studies that are necessary tofully answer whether microdosing is a useful way to treat depression or not.