Adolescent Psychedelic Use and Psychotic or Manic Symptoms

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Neuroscience
• Genetics

Background:

• Psychedelic-assisted therapy shows promise for psychiatric disorders.
• Risks of naturalistic psychedelic use on adolescent psychotic/manic symptoms are largely unknown.

Purpose of the Study:

• Investigate associations between naturalistic psychedelic use and self-reported psychotic or manic symptoms in adolescents.
• Utilize a genetically informative twin study design.

Main Methods:

• Analyzed data from a large Swedish adolescent twin registry (N=16,255) assessed at age 15.
• Cross-sectionally evaluated past psychedelic use against psychotic and manic symptoms.
• Employed linear regression and co-twin control analyses, adjusting for other drug use.

Main Results:

• Adjusted psychedelic use was associated with reduced psychotic symptoms (linear regression and co-twin analyses).
• Psychedelic use showed significant interactions with genetic vulnerability for schizophrenia and bipolar I disorder concerning manic symptoms.

Conclusions:

• Naturalistic psychedelic use in adolescents may correlate with lower psychotic symptoms after controlling for other substance use.
• The link between psychedelic use and manic symptoms appears moderated by genetic vulnerability.
• Findings require cautious interpretation due to study limitations.