Psychedelic Experiences During the Early COVID-19 Pandemic: Findings From an International Online Survey
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...
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2021
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oai:doaj.org-article:83eeb4f30df14112ab56cf192adc59d02021-11-04T06:09:20ZPsychedelic Experiences During the Early COVID-19 Pandemic: Findings From an International Online Survey1664-064010.3389/fpsyt.2021.732028https://doaj.org/article/83eeb4f30df14112ab56cf192adc59d02021-11-01T00:00:00Zhttps://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2021.732028/fullhttps://doaj.org/toc/1664-0640Introduction: 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.Ricarda EvensRicarda EvensSimon ReicheRoman M. MarekRoman M. MarekRoman M. MarekDaa Un MoonRosa Elisa GroßAmy RomanelloAmy RomanelloAmy RomanelloDario Jalilzadeh MasahMatteo Scicchitano BöckhelerStefan GutwinskiStefan GutwinskiChristiane MontagInge MickInge MickTomislav MajićTomislav MajićFrontiers Media S.A.articlecoronapandemic (COVID-19)SARS-CoV-2drug usepsychedelicexperiencePsychiatryRC435-571ENFrontiers in Psychiatry, Vol 12 (2021) |
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| topic |
corona pandemic (COVID-19) SARS-CoV-2 drug use psychedelic experience Psychiatry RC435-571 |
| spellingShingle |
corona pandemic (COVID-19) SARS-CoV-2 drug use psychedelic experience Psychiatry RC435-571 Ricarda Evens Ricarda Evens Simon Reiche Roman M. Marek Roman M. Marek Roman M. Marek Daa Un Moon Rosa Elisa Groß Amy Romanello Amy Romanello Amy Romanello Dario Jalilzadeh Masah Matteo Scicchitano Böckheler Stefan Gutwinski Stefan Gutwinski Christiane Montag Inge Mick Inge Mick Tomislav Majić Tomislav Majić Psychedelic Experiences During the Early COVID-19 Pandemic: Findings From an International Online Survey |
| description |
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. |
| format |
article |
| author |
Ricarda Evens Ricarda Evens Simon Reiche Roman M. Marek Roman M. Marek Roman M. Marek Daa Un Moon Rosa Elisa Groß Amy Romanello Amy Romanello Amy Romanello Dario Jalilzadeh Masah Matteo Scicchitano Böckheler Stefan Gutwinski Stefan Gutwinski Christiane Montag Inge Mick Inge Mick Tomislav Majić Tomislav Majić |
| author_facet |
Ricarda Evens Ricarda Evens Simon Reiche Roman M. Marek Roman M. Marek Roman M. Marek Daa Un Moon Rosa Elisa Groß Amy Romanello Amy Romanello Amy Romanello Dario Jalilzadeh Masah Matteo Scicchitano Böckheler Stefan Gutwinski Stefan Gutwinski Christiane Montag Inge Mick Inge Mick Tomislav Majić Tomislav Majić |
| author_sort |
Ricarda Evens |
| title |
Psychedelic Experiences During the Early COVID-19 Pandemic: Findings From an International Online Survey |
| title_short |
Psychedelic Experiences During the Early COVID-19 Pandemic: Findings From an International Online Survey |
| title_full |
Psychedelic Experiences During the Early COVID-19 Pandemic: Findings From an International Online Survey |
| title_fullStr |
Psychedelic Experiences During the Early COVID-19 Pandemic: Findings From an International Online Survey |
| title_full_unstemmed |
Psychedelic Experiences During the Early COVID-19 Pandemic: Findings From an International Online Survey |
| title_sort |
psychedelic experiences during the early covid-19 pandemic: findings from an international online survey |
| publisher |
Frontiers Media S.A. |
| publishDate |
2021 |
| url |
https://doaj.org/article/83eeb4f30df14112ab56cf192adc59d0 |
| work_keys_str_mv |
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