Lifetime classic psychedelic use is associated with greater psychological distress in unemployed job seekers

Unemployed job seekers who have ever used classic psychedelics report greater psychological distress in the past 30 days than unemployed job seekers who have never used them, after accounting for demographics, health, and other substance use. Among employed individuals, no difference in distress was linked to lifetime psychedelic use. The finding suggests that classic psychedelic use may worsen stressful life phases, adding nuance to earlier studies that tied lifetime psychedelic use to positive mental health outcomes in healthy populations.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Abstract Background Despite recent research linking lifetime classic psychedelic use to positive mental health outcomes, little work has explored the role played by classic psychedelics in healthy users' ability to cope with ordinary, yet stressful, life situations. Aims This study begins to fill this gap by exploring whether lifetime classic psychedelic use is associated with attenuated or exacerbated psychological distress in unemployed job seekers. Methods Drawing on openly-available data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (2013–2019) on 208,136 adults in the United States, this study tests whether lifetime classic psychedelic use interacts with employment status to predict differences in respondents' psychological distress experienced in the last 30 days. Results After adjusting for sociodemographics, health factors, and other substance use, unemployed job seekers with lifetime classic psychedelic use are found to report greater psychological distress relative to unemployed job seekers without lifetime psychedelic use. No differences in psychological distress based on lifetime classic psychedelic use were found in employed individuals. Conclusion This study suggests that lifetime classic psychedelic use (of indoleamines specifically) may exacerbate stressful phases of life and provides context to previous studies linking lifetime classic psychedelic use to predominantly positive mental health outcomes in healthy populations. Declaration of interest/funding This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors. Furthermore, the author declares that there is no conflict of interest.