Perceived changes in mental health and social engagement attributed to a single psychedelic experience in autistic adults: results from an online survey.

Summary

A striking 82% of autistic participants reported reduced psychological distress after their most impactful psychedelic experience, while 78% noted decreased social anxiety and 70% experienced increased social engagement. In a survey of 233 individuals with high autism quotient scores, the only significant factor linked to these positive changes was enhanced psychological flexibility. However, 20% also encountered negative effects, including heightened anxiety. These findings highlight the complex relationship between psychedelics and mental health outcomes in autistic individuals, warranting careful consideration of their implications.

Abstract

Anecdotal reports suggest that psychedelic drugs can improve psychological wellbeing and social engagement in autistic people. However, there are few contemporary studies on this topic. To examine autistic participants' experiences with psychedelic drugs and the extent to which they attributed changes in mental health and social engagement to their most 'impactful' psychedelic experience. We also explored associations between these changes and mechanistically important variables (e.g., aspects of the acute psychedelic experience and changes in 'psychological flexibility'). Self-selecting autistic participants (n = 233) with high autism quotient scores completed an online survey relating to their most impactful psychedelic experience. Questionnaires assessed the acute psychedelic experience and perceived psychedelic-induced changes in distress, social engagement and psychological flexibility, among other relevant variables. The majority of participants attributed reductions in psychological distress (82%) and social anxiety (78%) and increases in social engagement (70%) to their most 'impactful' psychedelic experience. A substantial minority (20%) also reported undesirable effects such as increases in anxiety with some describing their psychedelic experience as among the most negatively impactful experiences of their lives. The only substantial predictor of reductions in psychological distress was increased psychological flexibility. Autistic people attributed changes in mental health and social engagement to a single highly impactful psychedelic experience. The results and their implications are discussed with caution considering the use of a non-experimental design and biased sampling.

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