Centre for Psychedelic Research, Division of Psychiatry, Imperial College London, London, UK.
Departmant of Psychology, Julius-Maximilans-University Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany.
Sci Rep. 2021 Jan 21;11(1):1941. doi: 10.1038/s41598-021-81446-7.
Psychedelic microdosing describes the ingestion of near-threshold perceptible doses of classic psychedelic substances. Anecdotal reports and observational studies suggest that microdosing may promote positive mood and well-being, but recent placebo-controlled studies failed to find compelling evidence for this. The present study collected web-based mental health and related data using a prospective (before, during and after) design. Individuals planning a weekly microdosing regimen completed surveys at strategic timepoints, spanning a core four-week test period. Eighty-one participants completed the primary study endpoint. Results revealed increased self-reported psychological well-being, emotional stability and reductions in state anxiety and depressive symptoms at the four-week primary endpoint, plus increases in psychological resilience, social connectedness, agreeableness, nature relatedness and aspects of psychological flexibility. However, positive expectancy scores at baseline predicted subsequent improvements in well-being, suggestive of a significant placebo response. This study highlights a role for positive expectancy in predicting positive outcomes following psychedelic microdosing and cautions against zealous inferences on its putative therapeutic value.
迷幻药微剂量是指摄入接近感知阈的经典迷幻药物剂量。一些传闻和观察性研究表明，微剂量可能会促进积极的情绪和幸福感，但最近的安慰剂对照研究未能为此提供有力证据。本研究采用前瞻性（前后）设计，通过网络收集心理健康及相关数据。计划每周进行微剂量治疗的个体在关键时间点完成调查，涵盖核心的四周测试期。81 名参与者完成了主要研究终点。结果显示，在四周的主要终点时，自我报告的心理健康、情绪稳定性增加，状态焦虑和抑郁症状减轻，心理弹性、社交联系、宜人性、与自然的联系以及心理灵活性的某些方面增加。然而，基线时的积极预期分数预测了随后的幸福感改善，表明存在显著的安慰剂效应。这项研究强调了积极期望在预测迷幻药微剂量后的积极结果中的作用，并对其潜在治疗价值的过度推断提出了警告。
