Magic Mushroom 2. RuthArt/Flickr
Jan. 15 -- BIRMINGHAM, Alabama (AL.com) -- People who use psychedelic drugs report less depression and fewer suicidal thoughts than those who never dropped acid or took mushrooms, according to research published in the "Journal of Psychopharmacology."
Lead author Peter Hendricks is a professor of clinical psychology at University of Alamaba -- Birmingham. He and the other researchers culled the data from almost 200,000 responses to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health. People who said they used psychedelic drugs at least once in their life reported better mental health and fewer suicide attempts. The results set psychedelics apart from other drugs. Lifetime users of substances such as cocaine, marijuana and heroin reported poorer mental health and a higher frequency of suicidal thoughts.
After controlling for other variables, the research showed a strong correlation between use of psychedelics and better mental health. The latest research follows similar studies that have shown that psychedelics can help some patients recover from substance addiction and help dying patients decrease levels of anxiety. Taken together, the studies suggest that psychedelics could be a useful tool for treating some mental illness, Hendricks said.
"No one study is going to answer every question," Hendricks said. "But we need to be able to go where the studies lead us. Right now that suggests that these substances can be protective for mental health."
READ MORE: AL.com