Effects of psychedelic microdosing versus conventional ADHD medication use on emotion regulation, empathy, and ADHD symptoms in adults with severe ADHD symptoms: A naturalistic prospective comparison study

Adults with severe ADHD symptoms who microdosed psychedelics reported better emotion regulation and some empathy improvements in an initial uncontrolled study. A second study with a control group found that after four weeks, ADHD symptoms were lower in the microdosing group than in those taking conventional ADHD medication. However, only one emotion regulation measure—expressive suppression—remained improved after accounting for the control group. The findings suggest microdosing may help with ADHD symptoms and certain emotion regulation strategies, but there was no evidence for effects on empathy.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Abstract Adults with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) often struggle with emotion regulation (ER), impacting their empathic skills and relationships. ADHD medication might not be as effective for ER issues as for ADHD symptoms. Microdosing (MD) psychedelics has shown promise for ADHD treatment and previous studies reported social-emotional benefits. Two online prospective studies investigated MD effects on ER and empathy in adults with severe ADHD symptoms across three assessments: baseline, two-, and four-week post-initiation. Study 1 examined adults initiating MD on their own (n = 233, n = 64, and n = 44) and found positive effects on ER (cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression) and aspects of empathy (perspective-taking and personal distress). Study 2, including a control group and an ADHD symptom scale, compared individuals only MD (n = 180, n = 50, and n = 38) to individuals using conventional ADHD medication (n = 37, n = 27, and n = 28). After 4 weeks, ADHD symptoms were lower in the MD group. Only improvements in expressive suppression persisted after adding the control group. This study indicates the positive effects of MD psychedelics on ADHD symptoms and ER in adults with severe ADHD symptoms while lacking evidence for effects on empathy.