LSD and Other
Psychedelics Not Linked With Mental Health Problems, Analysis Suggests
The
use of LSD, magic mushrooms, or peyote does not increase a person's risk of
developing mental health problems, according to an analysis of information from
more than 130,000 randomly chosen people, including 22,000 people who had used
psychedelics at least once.
Researcher
Teri Krebs and clinical psychologist Pål-Ørjan Johansen, from the Norwegian
University of Science and Technology's (NTNU) Department of Neuroscience, used
data from a US national health survey to see what association there was, if any,
between psychedelic drug use and mental health problems.
The
authors found no link between the use of psychedelic drugs and a range of
mental health problems. Instead they found some significant associations
between the use of psychedelic drugs and fewer mental health problems.
Symptoms and mental health treatment considered
The specific symptoms examined were general psychological distress, anxiety disorders, mood disorders, and psychosis.
Armed
with this information, Krebs and Johansen were able to examine if there were
any associations between psychedelic use and general or specific mental health
problems. They found none.
"After
adjusting for other risk factors, lifetime use of LSD, psilocybin, mescaline or
peyote, or past year use of LSD was not associated with a higher rate of mental
health problems or receiving mental health treatment," says Johansen.
Could psychedelics be healthy for you?
The
researchers found that lifetime use of psilocybin or mescaline and past year
use of LSD were associated with lower rates of serious psychological distress.
Lifetime use of LSD was also significantly associated with a lower rate of
outpatient mental health treatment and psychiatric medicine prescription.
The
design of the study makes it impossible to determine exactly why the
researchers found what they found.
"We
cannot exclude the possibility that use of psychedelics might have a negative
effect on mental health for some individuals or groups, perhaps counterbalanced
at a population level by a positive effect on mental health in others,"
they wrote.
Nevertheless,
"recent clinical trials have also failed to find any evidence of any
lasting harmful effects of psychedelics," the researchers said, which
supports the robustness of the PLOS ONE findings.
In
fact, says Krebs, "many people report deeply meaningful experiences and
lasting beneficial effects from using psychedelics."
"Other
studies have found no evidence of health or social problems among people who
had used psychedelics hundreds of times in legally-protected religious
ceremonies," adds Johansen.
What's the bottom line on psychedelic use?
Psychedelics
are different than most other recreational drugs. Experts agree that
psychedelics do not cause addiction or compulsive use, and they are not known
to harm the brain.
When
evaluating psychedelics, as with any activity, it is important to take an
objective view of all the evidence and avoid being biased by anecdotal stories
either of harm or benefit, the researchers say.
"Everything
has some potential for negative effects, but psychedelic use is overall
considered to pose a very low risk to the individual and to society,"
Johansen says, "Psychedelics can elicit temporary feelings of anxiety and
confusion, but accidents leading to serious injury are extremely rare."
"Early
speculation that psychedelics might lead to mental health problems was based on
a small number of case reports and did not take into account either the
widespread use of psychedelics or the not infrequent rate of mental health
problems in the general population," Krebs explains.
"Over
the past 50 years tens of millions of people have used psychedelics and there
just is not much evidence of long-term problems," she concludes.
Both
researchers were supported by the Research Council of Norway.
Story Source:
The
above story is based on materials provided by The Norwegian
University of Science and Technology (NTNU).
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further
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Journal Reference:
1. Teri S. Krebs, Pål-Ørjan Johansen. Psychedelics
and Mental Health: A Population Study. PLoS ONE, 2013; 8 (8):
e63972 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0063972
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The Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) (2013,
August 19). LSD and other psychedelics not linked with mental health problems,
analysis suggests. ScienceDaily. Retrieved August 20, 2013, from
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/08/130819185302.htm