A living systematic review, meta-analysis and open-data resource of randomized controlled trials of psilocybin treatment for symptoms of depression - Nature

IntroductionUniversity students have been identified as an at-risk population for the development of mental health problems1,2 as the prevalence of mental disorders among German university students amounts to 22%3. Yet the burden of distress extends beyond formal diagnoses: 87% of German students report feeling stressed sometimes or even often, with the proportion of those who often feel stressed having nearly doubled from 23% to 44% between 2015 and 20233. Another study conducted in Germany indicates that 24% of students reported severe exhaustion, 55% low levels of well-being and 58% low stress resilience4. Given this prevalence as well as substantial gaps in health care utilization among university students, it is essential to promote successful adaptation to stress in this population—that is, to foster resilient responses5. In this study, resilience is defined as the outcome of a dynamic process of successful adaptation to adversity6. Accordingly, resilience is operationalised as the maintenance or recovery of good mental health following adverse life events or periods of challenging life circumstances.