Health · Public Health & Disease · 1 hr ago
Rising psilocybin use raises concerns about mental health risks
Doctors in Brazil say they have seen emergency cases of psychosis and anxiety after people used psychedelic mushrooms, but there are no epidemiological studies cited on how common their use is in the country.
Psilocybin and psilocin, the mushrooms’ psychoactive substances, are banned in Brazil, although the fungi themselves are not expressly prohibited by Anvisa.
A US survey estimated that about 8 million people aged 12 and older used psilocybin in 2024, or 2.8% of that population.
Nearly 55% of users surveyed were aged 18 to 34.
Among those who used psilocybin, 23.1% reported a serious depressive episode, compared with 18.6% among people aged 18 to 25 in the overall US population.
The survey cannot show whether psilocybin use caused depression or whether people with depression were more likely to use it; many users also reported cannabis or alcohol use.
The findings matter as interest grows, with two applications submitted to the US Food and Drug Administration last week to use synthetic psilocybin to treat depression, though the sources give no decision timeline.
A U.S. survey estimated that 2.8% of people aged 12 and older used psilocybin in 2024, equivalent to about 8 million people.
The article says doctors in Brazil are hearing anecdotal reports of growing use among young people, including emergency visits after psychotic episodes and anxiety crises.
A study of U.S. survey data found that 23.1% of people who used psilocybin in the previous year reported a serious depressive episode in that period.
The study could not establish whether psilocybin use caused depression or determine the direction of the relationship.
The article also highlights high rates of cannabis and alcohol use among people who reported using psilocybin.
- Who
- Psilocybin users, especially young people, and doctors concerned about potential mental health risks.
- What
- Rising use is prompting concern, while U.S. data show an association between psilocybin use and serious depression.
- When
- U.S. use was measured for 2024; the article was published on November 12, 2026.
- Where
- The article discusses Brazil and data from the United States.
- Why
- The reported association and accounts of emergency visits have raised concerns, although the data do not establish causation.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
The U.S. national survey estimated that 2.8% of people aged 12 and older had used psilocybin in the previous 12 months.
Kevin Yang, Avery Eun and Joseph Palamar published an analysis of survey data electronically in the American Journal of Psychiatry.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration received two applications to license synthetic psilocybin for depression.
- U.S. use in 2024
- 2.8% of people aged 12 and older, or about 8 million people
- Depression among users
- 23.1% reported a serious depressive episode in the previous year
- Cannabis use among psilocybin users
- 87.3%
- Alcohol-use disorder among psilocybin users
- 31%
- Brazilian legal status
- Psilocybin and psilocin are prohibited; Psilocybe fungi are not expressly banned by Anvisa
What people are saying
The methodology of the survey does not allow us to conclude whether there is causality involved in the correlation, or in which direction.
It seems more likely to be the result of news about antidepressant effects, that is, people with problems unresolved by conventional treatments may be self-medicating or may have sought legal psilocybin services in states like Oregon and Colorado.