Date of Award

2023

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Psychology

First Advisor

Sara Haden

Committee Chair and Members

Sara Haden, Chair

Gary Kose

Keywords

Mental health, Psilocybin, Psychedelics, Therapy

Abstract

The present study aimed to evaluate the relationship between psilocybin use and mental health outcomes within the general population. During the last several decades, psychedelic use was banned in the United States due to various reasons. In more recent years, psychedelic therapy is making a comeback in the healthcare community and renewed interest in the field is creating demand for greater research in psychedelic therapy in order to evaluate the safety, efficacy, and its possible ability to treat various mental health conditions using psychedelic therapy. One of the psychedelics, known as “magic mushrooms” is of particular interest to researchers. The active compound in magic mushrooms, psilocybin, is a well-known psychedelic hailed for its mind-altering mechanisms. It is of interest in the mental health field in regards to the treatment of various disorders and symptoms: notably depression, anxiety, and PTSD. The present study evaluated the possibility of a correlation between psilocybin use and depression symptoms. The results indicated no significant difference between participants who used psilocybin and those who do not use psilocybin use when it comes to depressive symptoms. An analysis of the data and possible reasons for the results and future implications are then discussed.

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