LSD Use Triples Among Young Adults With Depression
TOPLINE:
The use of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) tripled among young adults with past-year depression, results from the annual National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) show. The increase was especially high among young adults and those earning less than $75,000 a year.
METHODOLOGY:
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Investigators analyzed responses of 478,500 adult respondents to the NSDUH, a cross-sectional, in-person survey administered by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration between 2008 and 2019.
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Respondents were questioned about past-month and past-year LSD use and past-year depression.
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Investigators conducted statistical analysis between December 2022 and June 2023.
TAKEAWAY:
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Past-year use of LSD increased significantly more among adults with major depression, increasing from 0.5% in 2008 to 1.8% in 2019 (prevalence difference [PD], 1.3%; 95% CI, 1.0% – 1.6%) compared with adults without major depression.
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This difference was particularly pronounced among young adults with depression age 34 years or younger (PD for age 18-25 years, 3.3% [95% CI, 2.5% – 4.2%]; PD for age 26-34 years, 2.7% [95% CI, 1.6% – 3.8%]).
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The increase was also higher among those earning less than $75,000 per year (PD for < $20,000, 1.9% [95% CI, 1.3% – 2.6%]; PD for $20,000 – $49,999, 1.5% [95% CI, 1.0% – 2.1%]; PD for $50,000 – $74,999, 1.3% [95% CI, 0.7% – 2.0%]).
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Use of other hallucinogen classes either decreased or increased only among select age groups or timeframes, the use of LSD consistently increased among every observed age group from 2002 to 2019.
IN PRACTICE:
“Future research should aim to understand the motivations for LSD use as well as the directionality between nonmedical LSD use and depression. As the evaluation of LSD as a potential psychiatric treatment continues, public health efforts to promote safe and evidence-based use of psychedelics are critical,” the investigators write.
SOURCE:
The study was led by Deborah S. Hasin, PhD, of Columbia University’s department of psychiatry, New York City, and published online October 11 in JAMA Psychiatry.
LIMITATIONS:
Study limitations include the use of self-reporting measures in the NSDUH and the lack of information about motives for or doses of LSD use.
DISCLOSURES:
The authors have disclosed no relevant financial relationships.
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