Classic psychedelic use is associated with reduced psychological distress and suicidality in the United States adult population.

Among over 190,000 US adults surveyed from 2008 to 2012, those who had ever used classic psychedelics (such as LSD or psilocybin) showed lower odds of past-month psychological distress, past-year suicidal thinking, past-year suicidal planning, and past-year suicide attempt compared with those who had not. The reduced odds ranged from 14% lower for suicidal thinking to 36% lower for suicide attempt. In contrast, use of other illicit drugs was generally linked to higher odds of these outcomes. The findings suggest that classic psychedelics might help prevent suicide and that their strict legal status should be reconsidered to allow more research.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Mental health problems are endemic across the globe, and suicide, a strong corollary of poor mental health, is a leading cause of death. Classic psychedelic use may occasion lasting improvements in mental health, but the effects of classic psychedelic use on suicidality are unknown. We evaluated the relationships of classic psychedelic use with psychological distress and suicidality among over 190,000 USA adult respondents pooled from the last five available years of the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (2008-2012) while controlling for a range of covariates. Lifetime classic psychedelic use was associated with a significantly reduced odds of past month psychological distress (weighted odds ratio (OR)=0.81 (0.72-0.91)), past year suicidal thinking (weighted OR=0.86 (0.78-0.94)), past year suicidal planning (weighted OR=0.71 (0.54-0.94)), and past year suicide attempt (weighted OR=0.64 (0.46-0.89)), whereas lifetime illicit use of other drugs was largely associated with an increased likelihood of these outcomes. These findings indicate that classic psychedelics may hold promise in the prevention of suicide, supporting the view that classic psychedelics' most highly restricted legal status should be reconsidered to facilitate scientific study, and suggesting that more extensive clinical research with classic psychedelics is warranted.