Association of Psilocybin Use in Adolescents with Major Depressive Episode

Among 172,745 U.S. adolescents aged 12-17 surveyed from 2008-2018, 2,469 reported ever using psilocybin (magic mushrooms). Users were more likely to be 17 years old, male, and non-Hispanic White. 31% of psilocybin users had a lifetime major depressive episode (MDE), compared to 16% of non-users. The odds of MDE were 2.17 times higher among psilocybin users (95% confidence interval: 1.93-2.44). The authors conclude there is a significant association between psilocybin use and MDE in adolescents, raising public health concerns about illegal use, abuse, and toxicity.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Introduction Psilocybin is a psychedelic drug found in mushrooms, often referred to as magic mushrooms due to its visual and auditory hallucinations effects upon ingestion. It is a Schedule I drug per DEA, and the FDA has not approved psilocybin for medicinal purposes. However, recent studies have shown promising therapeutic use to treat depression. Objectives To identify current use, prevalence, and its association with depression in adolescents. Methods The National Survey on Drug Use and Health survey data from 2008-18 studied adolescent data (12-17 years), who responded, “ever used psilocybin (mushrooms)” and “lifetime major depressive episode (MDE).” The association between the psilocybin use and MDE status was analyzed in SAS 9.4 through multivariate logistic regression for odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI). Results A total of 172745 adolescents were included in this study, of which 2469 ever used psilocybin in their lifetime, and 170276 responded no lifetime use. The psilocybin ever lifetime users were 17 years old (42%vs.17%,p<0.001), male (60%vs.51%,p<0.001), and non-Hispanic White (71%vs.55%,p<0.001) in comparison to non-users. Among psilocybin user group, 31% of respondents had lifetime MDE, compared to 16% of the lifetime psilocybin non-user group participants (p<0.001). The odds of association of psilocybin use among participants with MDE were 2.17 times compared to those without MDE (CI: 1.93-2.44,p<0.001). Conclusions We identified a significant association between psilocybin use and MDE among adolescents, which raises public health concerns about its illegal use, abuse, and toxicity potential. Future clinical studies should assess its clinical safety, efficacy, and addictive properties. Disclosure No significant relationships.