Psychedelics and Wellness Study (PAWS): Psychedelic Use and Its Impact on Long-term Wellness and Holistic Mental Health & Behavioral Markers – Results From an Online Anonymous Nationwide Survey of Adults

OBJECTIVE: This survey intends to fill a research and educational gap by conducting an in-depth anonymous online survey of U.S. adults, investigating the impact of past psychedelic use and the impact on wellness.

METHOD: 83 adults (average age 38.8 years, SD = 17), completed an online, anonymous survey and provided detailed information of their before and after mood, anxiety, wellness and multiple other markers of pro-social behaviors. No identifying information was collected. We used well-established measurement tools such as the PHQ-9 to measure depression, GAD-7 to measure anxiety, the HERO Wellness Scale for wellness measurement, and the Clinical Global Impression – Improvement scale for multiple other measures of change examining before and after psychedelic use.

RESULTS: Robust changes were found in all markers – levels of depression and anxiety were lower in these psychedelic experienced individuals. PHQ-9 scores decreased from 9.8 to 4.5, and GAD-7 scores decreased from 8.7 to 3.8, both with a p<.001. Wellness markers of happiness, enthusiasm, resilience, and optimism were similar numerically and were statistically significant when comparing levels before psychedelic use to post psychedelic use.

CONCLUSION: Results from this survey informs psychiatry of the wellness-enhancing effects of past psychedelic use. While there were a few (~ 2 percent of survey respondents) who reported a decrease in wellness as a result of past psychedelic use, the overwhelming majority reported a broad-based, multi-factorial improvement in mood, anxiety, and multiple aspects of wellness and behaviors.

This poster was presented at the 32nd annual Psych Congress, held Oct. 3-6, 2019, in San Diego, California.