PLoS One
March 7, 2024
Sean M. Viña
14 citations
Lifetime classic psychedelic use is independently linked to lower psychological distress, but household size alters that relationship. Larger households are associated with higher distress, and this negative effect is amplified among psychedelic users. Three-way interactions show that the harmful association between household size and distress is strongest for psychedelic users who are married, divorced, or widowed. The findings suggest that social context—particularly household composition—moderates the potential health benefits of psychedelic use, with married and formerly married individuals in larger households experiencing the worst outcomes.
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs
January 1, 2025
Sean M. Viña
12 citations
Lifetime classic psychedelic use and religious participation are each independently linked to a lower likelihood of committing violent assault. The protective association between risky behavior and violence is weaker among people who consider religion highly salient in their lives. Among those who have used psychedelics, the link between risky behavior and violence is smallest for individuals with strong religious salience. Both religious attendance and personal religious significance appear to work together in shaping this relationship.
Psychedelic Medicine
April 22, 2025
Sean M. Viña
6 citations
Lifetime use of psychedelics such as psilocybin, LSD, MDMA, and DMT is linked to reduced psychological distress from internalized stigma about seeking mental health care, but this association varies by gender and race/ethnicity. Analyzing data from the National Survey of Drug Use (2008–2019) with a weighted sample of 458,372, the study found that stigma is statistically associated with higher distress overall. For White men, psychedelic use (especially LSD and DMT) showed stronger links to lower stigma-related distress, whereas these benefits appeared weaker for other groups, including women and people of color. The authors caution that the direction and mechanisms remain unclear and that minority groups may not experience the same level of benefit.
J Psychoactive Drugs
November 7, 2024
Sean M. Viña
6 citations
Both lifetime classic psychedelic use and religious attendance are associated with lower psychological distress, but their interaction is complex. Among people who have used psychedelics, higher religious salience (the personal importance of religion) is linked to greater distress, weakening the protective effect of religion alone. However, individuals who both attend religious services frequently and report high religious salience show the lowest distress levels of any group. The findings come from a large U.S. survey of over 458,000 respondents conducted between 2008 and 2019.
Drug Science Policy and Law
April 1, 2025
Sean M. Viña
4 citations
Racial and ethnic minorities appear to gain fewer mental health benefits from psychedelic use compared to non-Hispanic Whites, and in some cases psychedelic use is linked to worse mental health among Black and Asian populations. Analyzing data from the National Survey of Drug Use and Health (2005–2019) on nearly 600,000 individuals, the study examined associations between various psychedelics and outcomes including depression, suicidal ideation, and psychological distress. While psychedelic use was associated with better mental health among non-Hispanic Whites, there were fewer such positive associations among Black, Hispanic, and Asian individuals, and just as many instances where use was linked to worse mental health, especially for Black and Asian groups.
Psychoactives
May 12, 2026
Sean M. Viña
Analyzing 2008–2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health data, lifetime psychedelic use is not independently linked to lower odds of missing needed mental health treatment after accounting for psychological distress. However, psychedelic exposure weakens the link between distress and missed care: as distress rises, those who have used psychedelics—especially men—show a smaller increase in unmet treatment needs compared to non-users. Among women, only MDMA shows a similar buffering effect. The findings indicate that psychedelic use does not uniformly improve care engagement but reveals gendered patterns in how distress leads to disengagement, with women experiencing diminished benefits despite comparable distress levels.
Research Square
February 25, 2026
Sean M. Viña
Lifetime psychedelic use is not independently linked to lower odds of missing needed mental health treatment after accounting for psychological distress. However, among people with higher distress, those who have used psychedelics—especially men—show a smaller increase in missed care compared to non-users. For women, only MDMA use shows a similar buffering effect. The findings indicate that psychedelic exposure does not uniformly improve treatment engagement and that gender differences exist in how distress relates to disengagement from care. Structural inequality may produce diminished benefits for women despite similar distress levels.
Discov Ment Health
November 27, 2025
Sean M. Viña
A community-centered approach to psychedelics emphasizes the importance of social and communal contexts in shaping psychedelic experiences and their outcomes, rather than focusing solely on individual use or clinical settings. The work argues that integrating community support, shared rituals, and collective meaning-making can enhance benefits and reduce risks associated with psychedelic substances. This perspective challenges individualized models and calls for greater attention to cultural and relational dimensions in psychedelic research and practice.
Research Square
Sean M. Viña
People who use psychedelics are less likely to seek formal mental health care, including medication and outpatient treatment, even when experiencing high psychological distress. Analyzing data from over 458,000 participants in a national US survey between 2010 and 2018, the study found that as distress levels increase, psychedelic users become even less inclined to use formal care compared to non-users. This suggests a heightened risk of self-medication as psychedelics become more culturally and legally accepted.