Among Black and Hispanic people, using psychedelics is not linked to lower psychological distress after accounting for socioeconomic status, whereas white users still show lower distress. For Asian individuals with higher education and income, some psychedelic use is actually associated with increased distress. These findings support the minority diminished psychedelic returns theory, which holds that racism and socioeconomic inequality reduce the mental-health benefits of psychedelics for racial and ethnic minorities. The analysis used data from over 458,000 adults in a national survey and examined several psychedelics including MDMA, psilocybin, DMT, ayahuasca, peyote/mescaline, and LSD.
Hmong shamans understand and respond to depression through cultural beliefs and spiritual practices rather than biomedical frameworks. Nine of twelve shamans interviewed struggled to name depression, while eight attributed it to soul loss or spiritual imbalance. Displacement, war trauma, and poverty were identified as contributing factors by all participants. Coping strategies included family time, gardening, and healing from other shamans. Female shamans more openly shared struggles, while male shamans concealed emotions due to their household role. Only younger shamans had sought therapy; older shamans associated depression with stigma, mistrust, and fear of medication. This suggests a generational shift toward openness to mental health services.