Longitudinal associations between psychedelic use and psychotic symptoms in the United States and the United Kingdom
Ludwig Honk, Cecilia U.D. Stenfors, Simon B. Goldberg, Peter S. Hendricks, Walter Osika, Haley Maria Dourron, Alexander Lebedev, Predrag Petrović, Otto Simonsson
Journal of Affective Disorders January 26, 2024 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2024.01.197 via OpenAlex
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractUsing data from nearly 10,000 adults in the US and UK, psychedelic use over a two-month period was not linked to changes in psychotic symptoms overall. However, among people with a personal or family history of bipolar disorder, psychedelic use was associated with an increase in symptoms. Conversely, those with a personal history of psychotic disorders experienced a decrease in symptoms. These findings suggest that the effects of psychedelics on psychotic symptoms depend on an individual's psychiatric history.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Longitudinal study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 9,732 |
| Population | US and UK adult populations representative with regard to sex, age, and ethnicity |
| Duration | Two-month study period |
| Citations | 41 |
| Key finding | Psychedelic use was not associated with a change in psychotic symptoms overall, but it was associated with an increase in symptoms among those with a personal or family history of bipolar disorder and a decrease among those with a personal history of psychotic disorders. |
Abstract
It has long been speculated that psychedelic use could provoke the onset of psychosis, but there is little evidence to support this conjecture. Using a longitudinal research design with samples representative of the US and UK adult populations with regard to sex, age, and ethnicity (n = 9732), we investigated associations between psychedelic use and change in the number of psychotic symptoms during the two-month study period. In covariate-adjusted regression models, psychedelic use during the study period was not associated with a change in the number of psychotic symptoms unless it interacted with a personal or family history of bipolar disorder, in which case the number of symptoms increased, or with a personal (but not family) history of psychotic disorders, in which case the number of symptoms decreased. Taken together, these findings indicate that psychedelic use may affect psychotic symptoms in individuals with a personal or family history of certain disorders characterized by psychotic symptomatology.