For more information, see “How do psychedelic and dissociative drugs work in the brain? Other drugs such as MDMA, ibogaine, and salvia work on a variety of brain functions to cause psychedelic or dissociative effects. Psychedelic drugs (also called “classic psychedelics” or “psychedelics”), including psilocybin and LSD, mainly interact with specific receptors, which are molecular structures in the brain. NIDA conducts and supports research on psychedelic and dissociative drugs to help inform policies and health decisions around their use. Some psychedelic and dissociative drugs are also synthetic (lab-made).2 People report using psychedelic and dissociative drugs for a variety of reasons, including seeking new, fun, healing, or spiritual experiences.1,3 “Research studies suggesting its effectiveness in treating mental health issues and extensive positive media coverage may lead some people to seek shrooms outside of medical contexts.
Others take very small amounts of the substance regularly, a practice called microdosing, trying to improve their mental state and productivity.12 People have been using mushrooms that contain psilocybin for thousands of years, including in religious rituals. They may have a different sense of self, feeling that they have no personal boundaries and are one with the universe—what some researchers call “oceanic self-boundlessness”.4,6 This experience can be blissful, but it may also be frightening, and cause fear or panic. Changes A person taking psilocybin may have what’s called a mystical experience, where they enter a dreamlike, euphoric state, perhaps having visions or reliving memories. Researchers think this action is responsible for much of a person’s subjective experience when they take the mushrooms.4 They also typically Psilocybin Mushrooms make people feel as if they are disconnected from their body and environment.6
Are psychedelic and dissociative drugs legal?
Researchers are investigating psilocybin as a potential treatment for many health disorders. Microdosing means regularly taking a very small amount of a hallucinogenic substance, usually 5-10% of a typical recreational dose, low enough so that people do not experience hallucinogenic effects. For more information, see “Are psychedelic and dissociative drugs addictive?
Mental Health Issues
This means adulteration of psychedelic and dissociative drugs with fentanyl and similar compounds is possible, but more research is needed to understand to what extent this occurs. Research suggests, though, that the dissociative drugs PCP41 and ketamine53 can make symptoms worse in people who have schizophrenia, and can cause short-term episodes of psychosis, in which a person experiences hallucinations and delusions, and has trouble experiencing what is real and what is not. While more research is needed, the reported incidence of serious adverse events from professionally supervised use of specific psychedelic and dissociative drugs, such as in clinical trials, is relatively low.2,10,11,26 However, many past clinical studies on these drugs have not adequately assessed or reported on adverse events.27 People report using psychedelic and dissociative drugs for a variety of reasons. See NIDA-funded projects related to psychedelic and dissociative drugs, and learn more about related clinical trials.
Find More Resources on Psychedelic and Dissociative Drugs
More recently, researchers are exploring the use of psychedelic and dissociative drugs in medical settings as treatments for substance use disorders and for other mental health disorders such as depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).4,25 A small laboratory study published on psilocybin, DMT, and mescaline suggested that these psychedelic drugs are “weakly reinforcing,” indicating their use is not likely to lead to a substance use disorder.67 However, some evidence suggests people may quickly develop a tolerance to psychedelic drugs, meaning they must keep taking more of the drug to experience the same level of effects.24 This research includes efforts to better understand the health effects of psychedelic and dissociative drugs, how chemicals in—or similar to—these drugs work in the brain, and whether they may be able to treat substance use disorders and other conditions. In recent years, there has been growing research interest in the potential of psychedelic and dissociative drugs to treat medical conditions, including mental health disorders.
These altered patterns of brain activity contribute to a person’s profound change in consciousness. Psilocin activity at the 5HT2a receptor affects how the brain works and how different brain regions communicate with each other. The mushrooms have a long history of use. Psilocybin (4-phosphoryloxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine) comes from certain types of mushrooms found on nearly every continent.1 The mushrooms, which are also known as shrooms or magic mushrooms, are typically consumed dried or powdered.
Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) lists most psychedelic and dissociative drugs on the U.S. schedule of controlled substances. Among other health effects, dissociative drugs can also alter people’s perception of reality. Information on the use of psychedelic and dissociative drugs is collected by several national surveys. The effects of psychedelic and dissociative drugs during pregnancy are not well understood, as data are limited.
Some people who take psilocybin have extreme fear, anxiety, panic, or paranoia as they experience its hallucinogenic effects, which is known as a “bad trip.”17 People may also experience side effects like agitation, confusion, vomiting or nausea, which may be severe and require medical attention.14 With more public interest and, in some areas, fewer legal restrictions on psilocybin use, exposures reported to poison control centers have increased over the past few years.15 Psilocybin is part of a group of drugs called psychedelics—or hallucinogens—that have the potential to change a person’s sense of reality, leading them to see, hear, and feel things that are not happening in real life, or to experience reality in a different way.2 People report that they microdose to lessen mental health symptoms such as depression and stress, improve productivity, and ease pain. PCP can also cause psychosis that persists for days to weeks.6,54 While it is not clear whether ketamine raises the risk of long-term psychosis, people who engage in regular recreational use of ketamine are more likely to experience delusions, even after weeks of abstinence.55 Animal studies show that long-term use of PCP or ketamine can cause brain changes resembling those seen in people with schizophrenia.56
How do psychedelic and dissociative drugs affect the mind and body?
Researchers are also investigating other drugs sometimes classified as psychedelic and dissociative drugs, such as MDMA, and the way they work in the brain. The DMN is most active during brain activity that’s related to self-awareness—such as reflecting on past events or making plans.19 This may account for why psychedelic drugs can make a person’s thoughts less self-centered and more expansive, promoting a sense of connectedness with others and the world.10 Research suggests that the most prominent psychedelic effects stem from activity in the brain’s prefrontal cortex, an area involved in mood, cognition, and perception.17,18 Psychedelic drugs also temporarily disrupt communication between different brain regions, including the regions collectively known as the default mode network (DMN).
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Among people aged 12 or older in 2021, 2.6% (or about 7.4 million people) reported using hallucinogens in the past 12 months. These surveys use the terms “hallucinogen” and “hallucinogen use disorder” and data from those surveys are reported below. While more research is needed, laboratory research and a few human studies suggest that using the dissociative drug ketamine outside of a clinical setting can lead to cravings as well as symptoms of withdrawal.68 For example, salvia activates kappa opioid receptors in the brain,21 while ibogaine affects a variety of brain receptors.8 These are part of the brain’s system for transporting glutamate, another neurotransmitter. At certain doses, psychedelics may bring on vivid visions or sensations, alter a person’s sense of self, and promote feelings of insightfulness or connection.10
What are psychedelic and dissociative drugs?
Research to date suggests that use of psilocybin does not typically lead to addiction.2,18 To be diagnosed with a substance use disorder, a person must meet specific diagnostic criteria for continued substance use despite negative consequences. However, poor mental health outcomes may be more likely with use outside of clinical settings. Today, some people use the mushrooms in the hopes of having a unique, interesting, enlightening, and/or spiritual experience. When a person takes psilocybin, their body converts it to another substance, psilocin.1 Psilocin attaches to and activates receptors, or binding sites, for the brain chemical serotonin, primarily the serotonin 5-hydroxytryptamine 2A (5HT2a) receptor. Now, there is a new surge of interest in discovering how psilocybin works and its potential to help treat conditions such as depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), addiction, pain, and neurodegenerative disorders.5 Individuals are also curious to see how psilocybin might affect their way of thinking and living.
- Psilocin activity at the 5HT2a receptor affects how the brain works and how different brain regions communicate with each other.
- For more information, see “Are psychedelic and dissociative drugs addictive?
- Self-reported data on the prevalence of their use is limited, though available research suggests that use of drugs like psilocybin that cause hallucinations has increased among adults aged in recent years.
- Many psychedelic drugs derive from plants and fungi, and some have been used for thousands of years in traditional or religious rituals.
- Psilocybin can cause many effects, some of them unpleasant.
Psilocybin (Magic Mushrooms)
In June 2022, NIDA’s Office of Translational Initiatives and Program Innovations also announced a new program to support small businesses to develop psychedelic-based therapies for substance use disorders. While researchers debate how to describe these drugs and how specific drugs should be classified, they generally group them according to what is known about how they work in the brain. More studies are needed to better understand how psychedelic and dissociative drugs work. Many psychedelic drugs derive from plants and fungi, and some have been used for thousands of years in traditional or religious rituals. The authors note that states and regions where seizures are reported don’t necessarily reflect the intended destinations for the seized psilocybin mushrooms.
Psychedelic and Dissociative Drugs
- People may do things that put themselves or others at risk of physical harm after taking mushrooms in an unsupervised environment—driving dangerously or walking in traffic, for example—as they may be less aware of their physical surroundings13 and have an impairment in their ability to think clearly.
- They are also relapsing conditions, in which periods of abstinence (not using substances) can be followed by a return to use.
- Researchers are also studying whether some of these substances may be effective treatments for mental health disorders, including addiction, when administered in a clinical setting.4,5
- Though law enforcement seizures do not necessarily reflect prevalence of use, they represent an indicator of the availability of illicit drugs.
- More recently, researchers are exploring the use of psychedelic and dissociative drugs in medical settings as treatments for substance use disorders and for other mental health disorders such as depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).4,25
- Some organizations are using harm reduction practices to help avoid drug overdose deaths related to possible adulteration of certain psychedelic and dissociative drugs, particularly those taken in pill, powder, or liquid form.15
However, most people who report using psychedelic and dissociative drugs do so outside of medical or research settings for a variety of reasons, including for recreation, or based on the belief that doing so will improve well-being or allow for spiritual or self-exploration. Some people microdose psilocybin hoping that it will improve mental health issues like depression, anxiety, and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). There is evidence that indigenous people in Central America used them for healing and spiritual rituals as far back as 3000 B.C.3 Scientists began studying psilocybin decades ago, along with related substances like lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), to examine their potential to treat mental illness, including substance use disorders.2,4
People should consult their health provider before taking any drug during pregnancy. There is also the risk of misidentifying mushrooms and taking a toxic mushroom instead of one containing psilocybin.16 According to the U.S. Some people report taking magic mushrooms on their own hoping to achieve the same results, though additional research is needed to support this outcome.
While researchers debate how to describe and classify psychedelic and dissociative drugs and other drugs with similar properties, they generally group these drugs according to how they work in the brain.3 Some people use the term “hallucinogens” to refer to all or some psychedelic and dissociative drugs. Researchers are testing psilocybin’s potential to treat mental health disorders like substance use disorders, depression, anxiety, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. According to a survey published in 2021 of more than 7,000 people, some 7%—or about 500 people—reported having used psilocybin mushrooms in the past year.6 People who use them may hope to have an enjoyable, meaningful or spiritual experience, to improve their well-being, or to self-treat a medical disorder such as depression or anxiety.2,7 Some people report “microdosing” psychedelic drugs, typically LSD or psilocybin. Among other health effects, psychedelic drugs alter a person’s perception of their surroundings.
Centers for Disease Controls and Prevention (CDC), some commercial products such as candies marketed as containing psilocybin have also been found to contain toxic chemicals and have caused severe illness. Psilocybin typically raises blood pressure and heart rate, which may be dangerous for people with heart conditions. People may do things that put themselves or others at risk of physical harm after taking mushrooms in an unsupervised environment—driving dangerously or walking in traffic, for example—as they may be less aware of their physical surroundings13 and have an impairment in their ability to think clearly. Psilocybin can cause many effects, some of them unpleasant. Magic mushrooms typically cause shifts in how a person perceives reality. Psilocybin has a wide range of potential effects.
Substance use disorders are defined in part by continued use of substances despite negative consequences. In 2022, nearly 49 million people in the United States had at least one substance use disorder. The authors also note that it is unknown to what extent psilocybin mushrooms were seized in “wet” or “dry” form, which can significantly impact the recorded weight of each seizure and prevents weight measures from being translated into possible doses.
Reported use of most drugs among adolescents remained low in 2024
There is some evidence that psychedelic drugs might bring about or trigger schizophrenia-like illness in people with predisposing factors, but little evidence that they cause long-term psychiatric problems for most people. Some psychedelic drugs are derived from plants and fungi that have a long history of use in many different cultures around the world.23 Aztec shamans used psilocybin in healing rituals, and some Native American tribes used peyote as long ago as 5,700 B.C. Individuals also report using these drugs in the hopes of improving their mental health or well-being or easing pain or stress, but more research is needed to determine their effectiveness for these purposes.1,3,22 NIDA conducts and supports research on psychedelic and dissociative drugs to help inform health decisions and policies related to their use.
