Psychedelic Experiences During the Early Covid-19 Pandemic

Findings From an International Online Survey

Datos Bibliográficos

ID15524424
AutoresRicarda Evens (0000-0002-2834-2171, Freie Universität Berlin, autor de correspondencia), Simon Reiche (0000-0001-7424-2262, Freie Universität Berlin), Roman Marek (0000-0002-5267-2787, Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities), Roman M Marek, Daa Un Moon (0000-0002-3906-4701, Freie Universität Berlin), Rosa Elisa Gross (Freie Universität Berlin), Amy Romanello (0000-0003-1257-9593, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin), Dario Jalilzadeh Masah (0000-0001-8326-3399, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin), Matteo Scicchitano Böckheler (Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin), Stefan Gutwinski (0009-0001-7150-6071, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin), Christiane Montag (0000-0002-3307-276X, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin), Inge Mick (0000-0002-0142-6156, Freie Universität Berlin), Tomislav Majić (0000-0003-2950-6673, Freie Universität Berlin)
Año2021
Volumen12
Páginas732028-732028
Fecha de publicación2021-11-04
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaFrontiers in Psychiatry (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 1664-0640 • E-ISSN: 1664-0640
EditorialFrontiers Media (PUBLISHER • CH)
DOI10.3389/fpsyt.2021.732028
PMID34803757
OpenAlexW3213088840
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas4
Referencias citadas34

Introduction: The current corona virus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has caused a serious global health crisis that has affected large parts of the public and private life worldwide, including the use of psychoactive substances. In this study, we investigated the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the use of serotonergic psychedelics, i.e., the settings in which people use psychedelics, the motives of usage, and the subjective quality of psychedelic experiences. Methods: The study was part of an international, cross-sectional, internet-based survey ( N = 5,049) available in five languages (English, German, Spanish, Italian, and Korean) carried out during the early phase of the pandemic from April to August 2020. Participants were asked to retrospectively rate settings and motives of psychedelic substance use before the pandemic and in the last 4 weeks during the pandemic, as well as changes in psychedelic experiences. Results: Of n = 1,375 participants that reported the use psychedelics in 2019 or 2020, n = 642 (46.6%) also took psychedelics during the pandemic. During the pandemic, participants used psychedelics significantly less often in settings that were outside their home. Top motives to use psychedelics were comparable before and during the pandemic, but participants consumed less out of curiosity, to celebrate, or because friends took it, and more out of boredom. An increase in positively connoted, often pro-social experiences was observed. Two thirds of participants who used psychedelics during the pandemic claimed that psychedelics had helped them to deal better with the corona pandemic at least slightly. Discussion: Changes in setting and motives were mostly in line with restrictions caused by control measures to contain the spread of the virus. The unexpected increase in positively connoted experiences possibly reflects a favorable interaction of environmental macro- and individual micro-contexts during the pandemic (e.g., by reducing the use in more uncontrolled recreational settings or by encouraging a strong self-selection of substance users due to the expectation of "bad trips"). Increased pro-social feelings under psychedelics might reflect a desire for social interactions in times of social distancing and pandemic-related stress and anxiety

Boredom · Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19 · Curiosity · Disease · Pandemic · Psychiatry · Public health · Medicine · Nursing · Olfactory and Sensory Function Studies · Psychedelics and Drug Studies · Psychology · Social Psychology