Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs
January 1, 2020
Mark Haden, Birgitta Woods
31 citations
Three accidental LSD overdoses led to unexpected positive outcomes. One person experienced lasting mood improvements and reduced mania with psychotic features for nearly 20 years. Another took LSD early in the first trimester of pregnancy without harming the pregnancy or causing obvious birth defects. A third person survived intranasal ingestion of 550 times a normal recreational dose, which was not fatal and reduced pain and morphine withdrawal symptoms. The cases suggest that LSD overdoses can have unpredictable, beneficial effects on mental illness symptoms, physical pain, and withdrawal, and may not harm a fetus in early pregnancy.
Psychedelic medicine (New Rochelle, N.Y.)
September 1, 2024
Michelle St Pierre, Lucas Standing, Yarissa Herman et al.
3 citations
A cross-sectional survey of 791 adults who use psychedelics found that 80% used them for therapeutic purposes, but only 30% of those therapeutic users had discussed this use with their physician. Barriers included stigma, perceived lack of physician knowledge about psychedelics, and legal concerns. Patients with mood disorders or posttraumatic stress disorder, and those who used ketamine, were more likely to have such discussions. The findings indicate most therapeutic psychedelic users are hesitant to talk with their doctors about it, highlighting factors that may facilitate or hinder patient-physician communication on this topic.
Journal of Psychedelic Studies
December 2, 2023
Mark Haden, Birgitta Woods, Sarah A. Paschall
3 citations
A review of current and historical research and clinical reports finds that the relationship between psychedelics and schizophrenia is complex, with some evidence that psychedelics may benefit this population. Specifically, lower doses of psychedelics, mostly LSD, appear to have a potential beneficial impact on the negative symptoms of schizophrenia.
Journal of Psychedelic Studies
July 3, 2025
Mark Haden, Sarah A. Paschall, Birgitta Woods
2 citations
A review of 104 peer-reviewed articles finds that naturalistic use of psychedelics like psilocybin, LSD, MDMA, mescaline, and 5-MeO-DMT is associated with reductions in depression, anxiety, PTSD, substance use disorders, interpersonal violence, and suicidality, while enhancing emotional well-being, social connectedness, spirituality, nature relatedness, psychological flexibility, and physical health. Benefits appear across diverse populations, including those with trauma, addictions, chronic pain, older adults, and marginalized groups. Adverse effects are typically short-lived and linked to risk factors like youth, high doses, psychological vulnerability, and poor set and setting. The authors argue that prohibitionist policies are outdated and harmful, advocating for legalization, regulated access, and evidence-informed education grounded in harm reduction and Indigenous cultural models.
Longevity
July 5, 2026
Mark Haden, Birgitta Woods, Tina Woods et al.
A narrative review examines the convergence of psychedelic research and longevity science, exploring how psychedelic-assisted interventions may influence aging trajectories through both direct biological and indirect psychosocial pathways. The review discusses mechanisms such as enhanced neuroplasticity, modulation of immune and inflammatory signaling, stress-response recalibration, and sustained improvements in psychological well-being and social connectedness, which overlap with pathways influencing biological aging. Safety issues and research priorities are also discussed, including integrating biomarkers, functional outcomes, and longitudinal study designs, and considering whether psychedelic interventions may function as systems-level catalysts for healthier aging.
Substance use & misuse
January 28, 2017
Mark Haden, John R H Archer, Paul I Dargan et al.
MDMB-CHMICA, a synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonist found in recreational drug products across Europe since August 2014, is widely available from online suppliers. A systematic review of scientific literature and Internet sources identified 78 websites selling it, with prices decreasing for larger quantities. User reports on discussion forums from October 2014 onward described euphoria as the most common positive effect (30.6% of 36 reports), but almost all reports (91.7%) mentioned adverse effects, most frequently palpitations (30.6%), vomiting (25.0%), loss of consciousness (16.7%), visual hallucinations (16.7%), chest pain (13.9%), and anxiety (13.9%). Published literature includes two case reports of fatalities and one series of analytically confirmed intoxications. Both users and suppliers warn of its high potency.
Journal of psychoactive drugs
January 1, 2016
Mark Haden, Brian Emerson, Kenneth W Tupper
A public-health-based regulatory model for psychedelics is proposed, building on earlier post-prohibition frameworks for currently illegal drugs. The model incorporates governance, supervision, control of set and setting, youth access restrictions, supply control, demand limitation, and evaluation, informed by recent research on determinants of benefit and harm from psychedelic use.