Evidence map›Paper›PMID 32043165›Full record

ArticlePsychopharmacology2020

Perceived outcomes of psychedelic microdosing as self-managed therapies for mental and substance use disorders.

Toby Lea, Nicole Amada, Henrik Jungaberle, Henrike Schecke, Norbert Scherbaum, Michael Klein

Abstract read
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Psychopharmacology, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 35 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
35citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
3.5field-weighted citation impact, top 5% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

35 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 78 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
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  4. Neural complexity is increased after low doses of LSD, but not moderate to high doses of oral THC or methamphetamine.Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology · 2024
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  18. Is microdosing a placebo? A rapid review of low-dose LSD and psilocybin research.Journal of psychopharmacology (Oxford, England) · 2024
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 5 institutions in 3 countries.

Toby LeaGerman Institute for Addiction and Prevention Research, Catholic University of Applied Sciences, Cologne, Germany. toby.lea@unsw.edu.au.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5942-0550
Nicole AmadaCity University of New York, New York, NY, USA.
Henrik JungaberleMIND European Foundation for Psychedelic Science, Berlin, Germany.
Henrike ScheckeLVR-Hospital Essen, Department of Addictive Behaviour and Addiction Medicine, Medical Faculty, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany.
Norbert ScherbaumLVR-Hospital Essen, Department of Addictive Behaviour and Addiction Medicine, Medical Faculty, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany.
Michael KleinGerman Institute for Addiction and Prevention Research, Catholic University of Applied Sciences, Cologne, Germany.
University of Duisburg-Essen · DECatholic University of Applied Sciences · DECentre for Applied Psychology, Environmental and Social Research · DECity University of New York · USDeutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e. V. (DLR) · DE

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

rationaleThe regular consumption of very small doses of psychedelic drugs (known as microdosing) has been a source of growing media and community attention in recent years. However, there is currently limited clinical and social research evidence on the potential role of microdosing as therapies for mental and substance use disorders.

objectivesThis paper examined subjective experiences of microdosing psychedelics to improve mental health or to cease or reduce substance use, and examined sociodemographic and other covariates of perceived improvements in mental health that individuals attributed to microdosing.

methodsAn international online survey was conducted in 2018 and examined people's experiences of using psychedelics for self-reported therapeutic or enhancement purposes. This paper focuses on 1102 respondents who reported current or past experience of psychedelic microdosing.

resultsTwenty-one percent of respondents reported primarily microdosing as a therapy for depression, 7% for anxiety, 9% for other mental disorders and 2% for substance use cessation or reduction. Forty-four percent of respondents perceived that their mental health was "much better" as a consequence of microdosing. In a multivariate analysis, perceived improvements in mental health from microdosing were associated with a range of variables including gender, education, microdosing duration and motivations, and recent use of larger psychedelic doses.

conclusionsGiven the promising findings of clinical trials of standard psychedelic doses as mental health therapies, clinical microdosing research is needed to determine its potential role in psychiatric treatment, and ongoing social research to better understand the use of microdosing as self-managed mental health and substance use therapies.

Indexed as

Mental HealthAdultAttentionDose-Response Relationship, DrugFemaleFollow-Up StudiesHallucinogensHumansMaleMental DisordersMotivationPerceptionSelf-ManagementSubstance-Related DisordersSurveys and QuestionnairesTreatment OutcomeHallucinogensAlcoholDrugsLSDMental healthMicrodosePsilocybinSelf-treatment

Identifiers

PMID32043165
OpenAlexW3004910645

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.