Psilocybin use, mental health treatment utilization, and unmet treatment need among US individuals with depression.
Avery Chan Eun, Kevin H. Yang, Joseph J Palamar
Psychological Medicine October 6, 2026 DOI: 10.1017/s0033291726106163 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cross-sectional study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 6,793 |
| Population | Individuals aged 12 years and older in the US with a past-year major depressive episode, from the 2024 National Survey on Drug Use and Health |
| Intervention | Psilocybin |
| Duration | Past-year |
| Topics | Depression Psilocybin |
| Keywords | Unmet need |
| Key findings | Among people with past-year major depressive episode, past-year psilocybin use was not associated with any conventional mental health treatment utilization, including outpatient, inpatient, telehealth, or prescription medication use. Psilocybin use was associated with greater perceived unmet treatment need (52.0% vs. 33.9%; aPR = 1.44; 95% CI: 1.04-2.01). |
Abstract
Psilocybin use has increased in the US alongside promising therapeutic potential for depression, raising concerns that individuals may forgo conventional mental health treatment for unsupervised psilocybin use. However, no nationally representative studies have examined whether psilocybin use is associated with differential treatment utilization or perceived unmet need for mental health care among individuals with depression. We analyzed data from 6,793 individuals aged ≥ 12 years with a past-year major depressive episode (MDE) from the 2024 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, a nationally representative survey of the noninstitutionalized US population. Sociodemographic and substance use characteristics were first compared by past-year psilocybin use. We then examined associations between past-year psilocybin use and eight past-year mental health treatment outcomes using Poisson regression, adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics, other past-year substance use, psychotherapeutic prescription misuse, and alcohol use disorder. Among individuals with past-year MDE, an estimated 7.3% (95% CI: 6.4-8.3) used psilocybin in the past year. In multivariable models, psilocybin use was not associated with any mental health treatment utilization, including outpatient, inpatient, or telehealth treatment; prescription medication use for mental health; seeing a doctor for depressive feelings; or prescription medication use for depressive feelings. However, psilocybin use was associated with greater perceived unmet treatment need (52.0% vs. 33.9%; aPR = 1.44; 95% CI: 1.04-2.01). Findings suggest that psilocybin use among individuals with depression co-occurs with perceived unmet need for conventional mental health care but is not associated with lower utilization of any conventional mental health treatments.
In the evidence
This study is part of the evidence base for a synthesis in the library. Here is how each one recorded it.
-
Past-year psilocybin use was not associated with any conventional mental health treatment utilization but was associated with greater perceived unmet treatment need (52.0% vs 33.9%).
Synthesized
Comparable studies
Other cross-sectional and survey studies on psilocybin for depression, most cited first.