LYSERGIC ACID DIETHYLAMIDE (LSD-25)
American Journal of Psychiatry – June 01, 1952
Source: OpenAlex
Summary
A single oral dose of as little as 20 micrograms of Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) can induce feelings of depersonalization and derealization in healthy individuals. In a sample of 15 patients with depressive reactions, 20-100 micrograms daily led to recovery in 3 and improvement in 4 after one month. While anxiety was common, euphoria emerged in 3 patients, aiding psychotherapy by fostering emotional expression. Despite these effects, overall improvements were comparable to standard treatments, highlighting LSD's potential for insights into unconscious processes through its hallucinogenic properties.
Abstract
Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD-25 Sandoz) given orally in single doses as low as 20 micrograms produces depersonalization, derealization, and increased imagery in "normal" individuals. Larger doses are required to produce the same effect in psychotic patients. Of 15 patients with depressive reactions, 3 recovered and 4 improved after one month's treatment with daily oral doses of 20-100 micrograms of LSD. Four patients showed no improvement. In 4 cases, treatment was discontinued before proper evaluation could be made. Anxiety was a prominent reaction while less frequently euphoria was observed. In 3 patients who developed euphoria it served as an aid to psychotherapy by encouraging expression of feeling. In the others the heightened anxiety encouraged reticence rather than confidence. Improvement obtained during the course of LSD therapy was not greater than that obtained without its use in comparable cases. However, LSD affords therapeutically valuable insights into unconscious processes by the medium of the hallucinations it produces.