Magic Mushrooms – an exploratory look at how mental health professionals feel and think about Psilocybin
Thomas D. Meyer, Priel Meir, Claudia Lex, Jair C. Soares
Psychiatry Research July 16, 2022 DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2022.114727 via OpenAlex
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractMental health professionals' attitudes toward psilocybin were neutral, but their self-rated knowledge of the substance was low. Whether the survey used the term 'Psilocybin' or 'Magic Mushrooms' did not significantly affect responses. Gender, attitudes toward medical cannabis, and personal history of psychedelic use were associated with ratings of psilocybin. These findings offer a baseline of mental health professionals' views on psilocybin, which may inform considerations if it receives FDA approval.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Survey Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 155 |
| Population | Mental health professionals |
| Topics | Psilocybin |
| Keywords | Hallucinogen Psychiatry Mental health Exploratory research |
| Citations | 23 |
| Key finding | Mental health professionals' attitudes toward psilocybin were neutral, with low self-rated knowledge, and responses were not significantly affected by the term used. |
Abstract
Psilocybin recently received breakthrough status by the FDA for its use in treatment of depression. We therefore investigated mental health professionals' (MHPs) opinions on Psilocybin (n = 155). Overall, attitudes were neutral but self-rated knowledge of Psilocybin was low. The term used in the survey, 'Psilocybin' or 'Magic Mushrooms', did not significantly affect their responses. Some variables (i.e., gender, attitudes towards medical cannabis, and personal history of psychedelic usage) were associated with ratings of Psilocybin. These results provide a baseline of MHPs' thoughts on Psilocybin and what should be considered in the future if it is FDA-approved.