The "Bad Trip"—The Etiology of the Adverse LSD Reaction

Comparing 25 people hospitalized after taking LSD with 25 regular users who had no reported difficulties, the study found no clear historical or clinical features that could reliably predict who would have an adverse reaction. The authors suggest that LSD interacts with personality traits such as schizoid tendencies and unstable reality testing in a complex manner, making accurate prediction of individual responses nearly impossible.

Study at a glance

Abstract

In an attempt to identify the factors responsible for adverse reactions to LSD and to elucidate the rising incidence of hospital admissions associated with use of the drug, the authors compared 25 psychiatric inpatients hospitalized following LSD ingestion with 25 members of a group who took LSD together regularly without reported difficulty. Although some differences were found between the groups, there were no outstanding historical or current clinical features which could be used to predict an individual's response to LSD with accuracy. These findings support the hypothesis that LSD interacts with schizoid trends, unsteady reality testing, and related factors in a complex way that makes accurate prediction of response virtually impossible.