The dangers of LSD. Analysis of seven months' experience in a university hospital's psychiatric service
JAMA August 8, 1966 DOI: 10.1001/jama.197.6.389 via OpenAlex
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractAn analysis of 70 cases of adverse reactions to LSD, taken outside medical or research settings, reveals a wide range of psychiatric side effects, from depressive reactions to full psychotic states. The varied symptoms and patient characteristics underscore the risks associated with non-medical LSD use. Observations from these cases and from community users suggest that widespread use of LSD is a cause for concern.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Case series Case report Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 70 |
| Population | Patients with adverse reactions to LSD taken outside medical or research settings |
| Topics | LSD |
| Keywords | Medicine Psychiatry Ingestion |
| Citations | 61 |
| Key finding | Widespread non-medical use of LSD is a cause for concern due to the varied and severe psychiatric side effects observed. |
Abstract
The symptoms, diagnostic categories, and general characteristics of patients in 70 cases of adverse reactions to lysergic acid diethylamide tartrate (LSD) are varied. Psychiatric side effects ranged from depressive reaction to psychotic states. In all cases, LSD ingestion occurred separately and apart from medical-experimental and psychiatric-therapeutic models of LSD usage. Findings based on these cases and from observations made on LSD users in the community indicate that widespread use of LSD is a cause for concern.