Can LSD confer psychological strength and resilience? Study links lifetime LSD use to worse distress after job loss

LSD use is linked to greater psychological distress after job loss, challenging claims that classic psychedelics reliably increase resilience. Using U.S. National Survey on Drug Use and Health data from 2008 to 2019, researchers analyzed 15,854 adults who were unemployed and searching for work, including 520 who reported prior lifetime LSD use. Compared with those without reported LSD use, prior LSD users were about 1.6 to 1.7 times more likely to report severe psychological distress in the past month and also showed higher levels of non-severe distress. The study found these associations even after adjusting for sociodemographic factors, but the authors note the timing between LSD use and job loss could not be determined and results may not generalize to other psychedelics, stressors, or clinical LSD use.