Self-reported negative outcomes of psilocybin users: A quantitative textual analysis
This text-mining study (n=346) analyzed the semantic structure of negative experiences in response to using psilocybin reported on the Erowid database and found that states of paranoia, fear, and anxiety were typically associated with thought distortions. Bad trips were also more prevalent among female users, medical emergencies were linked with using high doses, and long-term negative outcomes were linked to concurrent use with other substances.
Authors
- Bienemann, B.
- Ruschel, N. S.
- Campos, M. L.
Published
Abstract
Introduction
Psilocybin, a substance mainly found in mushrooms of the genus psilocybe, has been historically used for ritualistic, recreational and, more recently, medicinal purposes. The scientific literature suggests low toxicity, low risk of addiction, overdose, or other causes of injury commonly caused by substances of abuse, with growing interest in the use of this substance for conditions such as treatment-resistant depression. However, the presence of negative outcomes linked to psilocybin use is not clear yet. The objective of this study is to investigate the negative effects of psilocybin consumption, according to the users' own perception through self-reports extracted from an online platform.
Methods
346 reports were analyzed with the assistance of the IRAMUTEQ textual analysis software, adopting the procedures of Descending Hierarchical Classification, Correspondence Factor Analysis and Specificities Analysis.
Results
The text segments were grouped in 4 main clusters, describing thinking distortions, emergencies, perceptual alterations and the administration of the substance. Bad trips were more frequent in female users, being associated with thinking distortions. The use of multiple doses of psilocybin in the same session or its combination with other substances was linked to the occurrence of long-term negative outcomes, while the use of mushrooms in single high doses was linked to medical emergencies.
Discussion
These results can be useful for a better understanding of the effects of psilocybin use, guiding harm-reduction initiatives.
Research Summary of 'Self-reported negative outcomes of psilocybin users: A quantitative textual analysis'
Introduction
Psychedelic use has increased in recent years, with data indicating rising prevalence of "magic mushroom" consumption and growing scientific interest in psilocybin for conditions such as treatment‑resistant depression and end‑of‑life anxiety. Despite evidence of relatively low physiological toxicity, the literature remains mixed about adverse outcomes: some epidemiological studies have linked hallucinogen use to various mental‑health problems, while others have found no relationship or even lower rates of mental‑health issues among psychedelic users. At the same time, anecdotal and clinical reports describe acute ‘‘bad trips’’ and occasional medical emergencies, and the context of use is thought to shape risk, but systematic analysis of user narratives is limited. This study set out to characterise negative outcomes of psilocybin use from the users' own perspectives by quantitatively analysing self‑reported experience narratives accessed from an online repository. Bienemann and colleagues aimed to identify common semantic clusters in reports of adverse experiences, explore associations between those clusters and contextual or demographic variables (for example dose, concurrent substances, and gender), and to derive findings relevant to harm reduction and further research on psilocybin safety.
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Study Details
- Study Typeindividual
- Journal
- Compound
- Topics
- APA Citation
Bienemann, B., Ruschel, N. S., Campos, M. L., Negreiros, M. A., & Mograbi, D. C. (2020). Self-reported negative outcomes of psilocybin users: A quantitative textual analysis. PLOS ONE, 15(2), e0229067. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0229067
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