Moritz Bruno Petzold

2 papers in the library · publishing 2022-2026

Papers

Personality changes following first-time psychedelic use in college students in Germany

npj Mental Health Research July 10, 2026 Constantin Volkmann, Michael Seitz, Ricarda Evens et al.

Among Berlin university students followed for one year, first-time psychedelic users showed small increases in Openness and decreases in Conscientiousness compared to never-users. After adjusting for age, sex, income, psychiatric diagnosis, and baseline substance use, the changes were attenuated and not statistically significant after correction for multiple comparisons. Exploratory analyses indicated that first-time users with psychiatric diagnoses experienced larger reductions in Neuroticism. The personality changes were not clearly different from those seen in first-time users of other illicit substances, and the authors caution against causal interpretation.

DOI: 10.1038/s44184-026-00228-z Full text

No party, no drugs? Use of stimulants, dissociative drugs, and GHB/GBL during the early COVID-19 pandemic.

The International journal on drug policy April 1, 2022 Antonia Bendau, Leonard Viohl, Moritz Bruno Petzold et al.

During the early COVID-19 pandemic, use of party drugs (stimulants, dissociatives, GHB/GBL) shifted substantially. Among 1,231 users surveyed, 48.0–64.8% ceased or decreased use, 11.9–25.5% maintained, and 23.6–29.1% increased consumption. MDMA/ecstasy showed the strongest decrease; GHB/GBL and dissociatives the highest increase. Price, quality, and supply remained mostly unaffected. Mood-related motivations (e.g., feeling exhilarated or high) were common before and during the pandemic, but social and mood-related reasons declined while coping with boredom rose. 16.4–35.6% found drug use helpful for pandemic-related stressors, which was linked to increased consumption. The findings suggest that users who increased use as a coping strategy may need targeted preventive measures.

DOI: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2022.103582 Full text Ketamine MDMA Amphetamine Cocaine +2