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Age-specific patterns of hallucinogen use in the US population: an analysis using generalized additive models
1Department of Psychiatry, Henry Ford Health Sciences Center, Detroit, MI 48202-3450, USA.
Drug and Alcohol Dependence
|December 11, 1996
Summary
Young adults aged 19 show the highest prevalence of hallucinogen use, particularly LSD. This pattern, observed across multiple surveys, indicates a stable trend of peak usage during the transition from adolescence to adulthood.
Area of Science:
- Psychiatry
- Sociology
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Growing concern exists regarding increased hallucinogen use, including LSD.
- Limited data is available on the demographic distribution of hallucinogen use in the U.S. population.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the age-specific prevalence of hallucinogen use.
- To compare hallucinogen use by socioeconomic indicators.
- To examine patterns in the onset of hallucinogen use.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of data from the 1988, 1990, and 1992 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse (NHSDA).
- Utilized generalized additive models to assess prevalence by socioeconomic factors.
- Employed survival analysis to compare onset patterns of use.
Main Results:
- Past-year hallucinogen use peaked at age 19 across all NHSDA surveys.
- Prevalence was highest among white individuals and those with high family incomes.
- Onset of hallucinogen use most commonly occurred between ages 15-19, irrespective of birth cohort.
Conclusions:
- Hallucinogen use shows a stable pattern, with the highest risk period being the transition from adolescence to adulthood.
- This pattern has persisted since hallucinogens became widely available in the late 1960s.
- Age 19 represents the peak for past-year hallucinogen use.