In New York Magazine, Jesse Singal discusses two recent studies that looked at the long-term relationships between use of psychedelics and the development of mental illnesses, and found either no relationships or even suggestions of protective effects.
“If classical psychedelics are in fact safe, where did all of the scary psychosis stories come from in the first place?” asks Singal. “The simple answer is media coverage, which, as everyone knows, sometimes over-blows certain fears, particularly when those fears are culturally resonant. The slightly more complicated answer has to do with a misunderstanding of what is causing what.” Singal quotes a researcher who told Nature, “Psychedelics are psychologically intense, and many people will blame anything that happens for the rest of their lives on a psychedelic experience.”
The Truth About Psychedelic Drugs and Mental Illness (New York Magazine, March 6, 2015)
