Minorities’ diminished psychedelic returns: Depression, suicide, distress, and serious mental illness
Drug Science, Policy and Law April 1, 2025 DOI: 10.1177/20503245251337357 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cohort Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 596,187 |
| Population | non-Hispanic Whites, Blacks, Asians, and Hispanics in the United States |
| Interventions | MDMA Psilocybin DMT Ayahuasca Peyote/Mescaline LSD |
| Topics | Depression |
| Keywords | Mental illness Depression economics Mental distress Clinical psychology Mental health |
| Citations | 4 |
| Key findings | Psychedelic use is associated with better mental health more often among non-Hispanic Whites than among racial and ethnic minorities, and for Black and Asian populations it is as often linked to worse mental health. |
Abstract
Although there is growing support for the protective effects of psychedelics on mental health, recent evidence finds racial and ethnic minorities gain fewer benefits. This paper aims to test whether the disparate mental health outcomes associated with psychedelic use extend across multiple racial and ethnic groups, including non-Hispanic Whites, Blacks, Asians, and Hispanics. In order to understand the relationship between race/ethnicity, psychedelics, and mental health, this study draws from the National Survey of Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) data from 2005 to 2019, with a sample size of 596,187 individuals. The study examines the association between various psychedelics (such as MDMA, Psilocybin, DMT, Ayahuasca, Peyote/Mescaline, and LSD) and one measure of Lifetime Classic Psychedelics Use (LCPU) on multiple mental health measures, including depression, suicidal ideation, suicide planning, suicide attempts, psychological distress, and serious mental illness. Additionally, the analysis compares health outcomes between non-Hispanic Whites, non-Hispanic Blacks, non-Hispanic Asians, and Hispanics. A series of nested logistic and ordinary least square regression models are used in the analysis, conducted using Stata 18. The results reveal significant variation in the association between psychedelic use and mental health outcomes. Most notably, there are more instances where psychedelic use is associated with better mental health among non-Hispanic Whites compared to minority populations. Moreover, not only are there fewer associations between psychedelic use and better mental health among Black, Hispanic, and Asian individuals, but there are also just as many instances where psychedelic use is associated with worse mental health, particularly among Black and Asian populations.
Comparable studies
Other observational and cohort studies on depression, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Metacognitive awareness and prevention of relapse in depression: Empirical evidence. Residually depressed patients and nondepressed controls; recovered depressed patients | 2002 | Observational cohort with intervention components | |
| Psilocybin for treatment-resistant depression: fMRI-measured brain mechanisms. Patients with treatment-resistant depression | 2017 | Observational cohort | n = 19 |
| Antidepressant effects of a single dose of ayahuasca in patients with recurrent depression: a preliminary report Patients with a depressive disorder | 2015 | Observational study | |
| Concomitant BDNF and sleep slow wave changes indicate ketamine-induced plasticity in major depressive disorder Patients with treatment-resistant major depressive disorder | 2012 | Observational cohort | n = 30 |
| Altered peripheral immune profiles in treatment-resistant depression: response to ketamine and prediction of treatment outcome Healthy controls and actively depressed patients with treatment-resistant depression... | 2017 | Observational cohort | n = 59 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 3
- Psychedelics and Mental Health Treatment Seeking Among Asians and Hawaiians Psychoactives September 4, 2025
- Can Education Compensate for Poor Healthcare? Racial Inequalities in Psychedelic-Associated Psychological Distress Research Square January 14, 2026
- The medical sociological and social epidemiological psychedelics paradigm (MSSEPP) Drug Science, Policy and Law November 1, 2025
Cites 40
- Psilocybin produces substantial and sustained decreases in depression and anxiety in patients with life-threatening cancer: A randomized double-blind trial Journal of Psychopharmacology November 30, 2016
- Effects of Psilocybin-Assisted Therapy on Major Depressive Disorder JAMA Psychiatry November 4, 2020
- Psychedelics Promote Structural and Functional Neural Plasticity Cell Reports June 1, 2018
- Quality of Acute Psychedelic Experience Predicts Therapeutic Efficacy of Psilocybin for Treatment-Resistant Depression Frontiers in Pharmacology January 17, 2018
- Classic psychedelic use is associated with reduced psychological distress and suicidality in the United States adult population. Journal of Psychopharmacology March 1, 2015
and 35 more in the library