Psychedelics and Wellness Study (PAWS)

Psychedelic Use Among Psychiatric Medication Prescribers: Effects on Well-Being, Depression, Anxiety, and Associations with Patterns of Use, Reported Harms, and Transformative Mental States

This cross-sectional online survey (n=228) examined the effects of psychedelic use on healthcare providers who treat psychiatric disorders with medications. The study found that psychedelic use was associated with improvements in depression, anxiety, well-being, and resilience, and a decrease in reported suicidality. A factor analysis indicated that a combination of mystical, interpersonal, and personal experiences predicted these improvements. The preferred psychedelic agent did not influence outcomes, and frequency of use showed varied effect sizes. While 13.2% (n=30) reported at least one harm from psychedelic use, the results suggest potential benefits for healthcare providers, consistent with findings from other studies on the general population.

Published

August 7, 2023

Journal

Psychedelic Medicine

Authors

Herrmann, Z., Levin, A. W., Cole, S. P., Slabaugh, S., Barnett, B., Penn, A., Jain, R., Raison, C., Rajanna, B., Jain, S.