Consciousness alterations in a cohort of young Swiss men: Associations with substance use and personality traits.

Among 2,796 young Swiss men who had used substances, 32.2% reported at least one type of substance-induced consciousness alteration: 20.5% experienced ego dissolution, 16.7% visual pseudo-hallucinations, and 14.6% anxiety or paranoia. Former and current use of psychedelics and ketamine was linked to all three types and to a positive perceived influence on life. Associations with other substances were less consistent and not statistically significant. Sociability was negatively associated with all three alterations; anxiety-neuroticism was positively associated with ego dissolution and anxiety/paranoia; aggression-hostility with anxiety/paranoia; and sensation seeking with ego dissolution and visual pseudo-hallucinations. The findings suggest psychedelics can induce consciousness alterations perceived as beneficial, even in street-drug users.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Substance-induced consciousness alterations (CA) have mainly been studied among users of psychedelics but not among people using street drugs. Explore occurrences of three different types of substance-induced CA [ego dissolution (ED), visual pseudo-hallucinations (VPH), anxiety/paranoia (A/P)] and their perceived influences on life, together with their associations with substance use and personality correlates in a general population sample of 25-year-old men. 2,796 young Swiss men lifetime substance users completed a self-report questionnaire including history of use (never, former, and current) of different substances categories (psychedelics, cocaine, psychostimulants, ecstasy, MDMA, and other drugs), substance-induced ego dissolution (ED), visual pseudo-hallucinations (VPH) and anxiety/paranoia (A/P), the influence of these CA experiences on life, and personality traits (sensation seeking, sociability, anxiety-neuroticism, and aggression-hostility). 32.2% reported at least one CA (i.e., ED, VPH or A/P), with 20.5% reporting ED, 16.7% VPH, and 14.6% A/P. Former and current use of psychedelics and ketamine was significantly associated with occurrences of all three types of CAs and with a positive influence of CA on life. Associations between the former and current use of other substances and the different types of CA were less consistent, and perceived influences on life were not statistically significant. Sociability was negatively associated with occurrences of all three types of CA. Positive associations were found between anxiety-neuroticism and ED and A/P, between aggression-hostility and A/P, and between sensation seeking and ED and VPH. This study supports the potential for psychedelics to induce CAs perceived as beneficial to life among people using street drugs, possibly reflecting the mechanism underlying the therapeutic potential of psychedelics.