Psychological effects of psychedelics in adolescents.
Front Child Adolesc Psychiatry June 7, 2024 Nadhrah Izmi, Robin Lester Carhart-Harris, Hannes Kettner 23 citations
Adolescents aged 16–24 who self-initiated a psychedelic experience showed significant improvements in psychological well-being four weeks later, with a clinically meaningful average increase of 3.3 points on the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale—similar to changes seen in adults aged 25 and older. However, adolescents reported more challenging acute effects and ego-dissolution, and a higher prevalence of visual symptoms resembling hallucinogen persisting perceptual disorder (73.5% vs. 34.2% in adults), though only one adolescent found these distressing. These findings suggest psychedelic interventions could benefit adolescents but require special attention to risks and treatment design.