Ayahuasca in adolescence: a preliminary psychiatric assessment
This study (n=80) evaluated the psychiatric health of adolescents who used ayahuasca in a religious context, compared to a matched control group of adolescents who did not use ayahuasca. The authors found that, compared to controls, considerable lower frequencies of positive scoring for anxiety, body dysmorphism, and attentional problems were detected among ayahuasca-using adolescents despite overall similar psychopathological profiles.
Authors
- Charles Grob
- Draulio Silveira
- Dartiu Xavier da Silveira
Published
Abstract
Ayahuasca is believed to be harmless for those (including adolescents) drinking it within a religious setting. Nevertheless controlled studies on the mental/ psychiatric status of ritual hallucinogenic ayahuasca concoction consumers are still lacking. In this study, 40 adolescents from a Brazilian ayahuasca sect were compared with 40 controls matched on sex, age, and educational background for psychiatric symptomatology. Screening scales for depression, anxiety, alcohol consumption patterns (abuse), attentional problems. and body dysmorphic disorders were used. It was found that, compared to controls, considerable lower frequencies of positive scoring for anxiety, body dismorphism, and attentional problems were detected among ayahuasca-using adolescents despite overall similar psychopathological profiles displayed by both study groups. Low frequencies of psychiatric symptoms detected among adolescents consuming ayahuasca within a religious context may reflect a protective effect due to their religious affiliation. However further studies on the possible interference of other variables in the outcome are necessary.
Research Summary of 'Ayahuasca in adolescence: a preliminary psychiatric assessment'
Introduction
Ayahuasca is a plant-based hallucinogenic concoction used as a sacrament in syncretic Brazilian churches such as União do Vegetal (UDV) and Santo Daime, where its ritual consumption is legally protected when practised as part of religious ceremonies. Earlier work in adults, notably the Hoasca Project, found no evidence of long-term injurious effects among regular ritual users and even reported apparent remission of serious psychiatric problems following entry into the religion. Despite these adult data and the common belief within churches that ayahuasca is harmless for adolescents when consumed in a ritual context, controlled empirical studies focusing on adolescents have been lacking. Xavier and colleagues set out to address this gap by conducting a preliminary psychiatric assessment of adolescents who consume ayahuasca within a religious setting. The primary aim was to compare psychiatric symptomatology in a sample of ritual-using adolescents with matched non-using controls using standard screening instruments, thereby evaluating whether regular ritual use is associated with differences in measures such as depression, anxiety, attentional problems, substance misuse, and body dysmorphic concerns.
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Study Details
- Study Typeindividual
- Journal
- Compound
- Topics
- Authors
- APA Citation
Da Silveira, D. X., Grob, C. S., de Rios, M. D., Lopez, E., Alonso, L. K., Tacla, C., & Doering-Silveira, E. (2005). Ayahuasca in adolescence: a preliminary psychiatric assessment. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 37(2), 129-133. https://doi.org/10.1080/02791072.2005.10399792
References (1)
Papers cited by this study that are also in Blossom
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