A national survey of American adults from November 2020 to March 2021 found that psychedelic mushroom use is common, with 63.6% of users citing general mental health and well-being as a reason. Users reported higher depression and anxiety scores on standard measures. Factors predicting use included being male and having a higher comorbidity burden, while having health insurance, older age, and living outside the western US reduced the likelihood. The findings indicate that many Americans are self-medicating with psychedelic mushrooms, and the link between use and poor mental health warrants further policy-relevant research.
A cross-sectional survey of 6,869 American adults found that those who used psychedelic mushrooms in the past year reported lower mental health scores and higher levels of anxiety and depression than non-users. The 256 psychedelic users (3.7% of the sample) included 122 who used only psilocybin mushrooms and 134 who used multiple psychedelics; the multi-psychedelic group had the poorest mental health. These differences persisted even after controlling for past-year anxiety and depression, suggesting that psychedelic use is associated with poorer mental health in some contexts. The authors call for more population-based research on exclusive psilocybin and combined psychedelic use.