Lay summary
Mood disorders are a leading cause of health loss in New Zealand, however, current treatments do not work or are not well tolerated by a large number of people who suffer from these disorders. Anecdotal reports suggest that low doses of serotonergic 2A receptor agonists are able to positively improve symptoms of depression and anxiety, however, this has yet to be adequately tested in clinical trials. In this research, we will conduct the first randomised control clinical trial using repeated low doses of a serotonergic 2A receptor agonist in patients with major depressive disorder. Our results will indicate whether this approach works and could be followed up by future larger multi-site trials