Journal of Psychopharmacology
March 8, 2012
Teri Suzanne Krebs, Pål-ørjan Johansen
580 citations
A meta-analysis of six randomized controlled trials involving 536 participants found that a single dose of LSD, given alongside various alcoholism treatment programs, was associated with a decrease in alcohol misuse. The odds ratio for a beneficial effect was 1.96 (95% confidence interval 1.36–2.84), indicating a statistically significant reduction in alcohol misuse. Heterogeneity between trials was negligible. The analysis discusses secondary outcomes, risk of bias, and limitations of the included studies.
PLoS ONE
August 19, 2013
Teri Suzanne Krebs, Pål-ørjan Johansen
338 citations
Lifetime use of classical serotonergic psychedelics (LSD, psilocybin, mescaline) is not associated with an increased risk of mental health problems. Analyzing data from over 130,000 US adults, researchers found no significant link between psychedelic use and higher rates of serious psychological distress, mental health treatment, or specific psychiatric disorders including panic disorder, major depression, mania, social phobia, and PTSD. In some cases, psychedelic use correlated with lower rates of mental health issues. The findings suggest that psychedelics are not an independent risk factor for mental health problems.
Journal of Psychopharmacology
March 1, 2015
Pål-ørjan Johansen, Teri Suzanne Krebs
300 citations
A large study of 135,095 randomly selected US adults, including 19,299 who had used psychedelics such as LSD, psilocybin, or mescaline, found no link between lifetime psychedelic use and mental health problems. After adjusting for sociodemographics, other drug use, and childhood depression, there were no significant associations with past-year serious psychological distress, mental health treatment, suicidal thoughts, plans, or attempts, depression, or anxiety. Psychedelic use was not an independent risk factor for mental health issues. Serious adverse events are extremely rare, and psychedelics are not known to harm organs or cause addiction. The authors argue that prohibiting psychedelics as a public health measure is difficult to justify.
F1000Research
March 28, 2013
Teri Suzanne Krebs, Pål-ørjan Johansen
125 citations
In 2010, about 32 million people in the United States had used psychedelics such as LSD, psilocybin, mescaline, or peyote at least once in their lives. Among those aged 21 to 64, 17% reported lifetime use, with 22% of males and 12% of females. The highest rate of use occurred in people aged 30 to 34, where 20% had used psychedelics, including 26% of men and 15% of women. These estimates come from a national survey of 57,873 individuals aged 12 and older.