Epidemiology of classic psychedelic substances: results from a Norwegian internet convenience sample

Tor-Morten Kvam; Malin V Uthaug; Kristoffer A A Andersen; Birk Berggrav Refsum; Paula Aarseth Tunstad; Lowan Han Stewart; Henrik Børsting Jacobsen; Cato Grønnerød

doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1287196

Epidemiology of classic psychedelic substances: results from a Norwegian internet convenience sample

Front Psychiatry. 2023 Nov 13:14:1287196. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1287196. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Tor-Morten Kvam^#^{1

2}, Malin V Uthaug^#^{3

4

5}, Kristoffer A A Andersen^#^{6

7}, Birk Berggrav Refsum^#⁷, Paula Aarseth Tunstad^#⁷, Lowan Han Stewart^#², Henrik Børsting Jacobsen^#^{7

8}, Cato Grønnerød^#⁷

Affiliations

¹ Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.
² Nordre Østfold DPS, Østfold Hospital Trust, Grålum, Norway.
³ The Centre for Psychedelic Research, Department of Brain Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom.
⁴ Somnivore Pty. Ltd., Bacchus Marsh, VIC, Australia.
⁵ Department of Neuropsychology and Psychopharmacology, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands.
⁶ Psykolyse, Oslo, Norway.
⁷ Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.
⁸ Department of Pain Management and Research, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway.

^# Contributed equally.

Abstract

Objective: In recent years, there has been a renewed interest in investigating the use of classic psychedelics such as psilocybin and lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) in the treatment of mental disorders and substance use disorders. However, knowledge about the epidemiology of classic psychedelics in the Nordic countries is limited.

Methods: We recruited adult, Norwegian participants who have had a memorable experience after taking a classic psychedelic substance. They filled in an anonymous internet survey with 119 items covering matters related to recreational use of psychedelics using a secure, web-based application. Data are presented by using descriptive statistics (frequencies, means, and standard deviations).

Results: We recruited 841 participants, 770 (72% male; 88% 45 years or younger) of which were included in the data analysis. The intentions behind taking the psychedelic substance were mainly recreational (46.1%) or therapeutic (42.3%). Most participants reported that their most memorable experience was with psilocybin. As in modern era clinical trials, most participants were well-prepared before, did processing during, and did integration work after the experience, whereas only a minority were supported by a therapist. Self-perceived symptoms of various mental disorders and substance use disorders were prevalent in the sample. Most subjects reported improvements in their condition. Although adverse reactions were usually mild and short-lived, 4.2% lasted for 1 year or more. Persisting flashbacks were present for a year or more among 2.9% of the participants.

Conclusion: In this cross-sectional sample of Norwegian, self-selecting adults, we shed light on what characterizes the most memorable experience with a classic psychedelic substance, including short- and long-term risks and benefits. For the most part, the psychedelic experience led to improvements in self-perceived symptoms of mental disorders and substance use disorders. However, a small subset experienced persisting adverse reactions.

Keywords: N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT); lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD); mental disorders; psilocybin; psychedelics; substance use disorders; survey.

Grants and funding

The author(s) declare financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. This work was partially supported by the South-Eastern Norway Regional Health Authority under project number 2021007.