Advisor(s)
Kevin Fontaine
Committee Member(s)
Christopher Nicholas
Heith Copes
Peter Hendricks
School
School of Health Professions
Document Type
Dissertation
Department (new version)
Health Education/Promotion (Public Health)
Date of Award
9-11-2025
Abstract
Psychedelics have long been described as potential drug models of psychosis. There is also concern that psychedelics might worsen psychotic symptoms in individuals with a history of psychotic disorders. This dissertation examines the overlap between psychedelic-induced states and non-affective psychotic disorders (NAPD) from both subjective and neurological perspectives, as well as the perceived impact of psychedelic use in people with a history of NAPD. Nineteen people with a history of NAPD who had used psychedelics were interviewed about their experiences. Participants generally described psychedelic and psychotic experiences as distinct, though both affected similar experiential domains, such as sensory alterations. Altered thinking and meaning attribution showed partial overlap, while a sense of control and self-referential feelings were often described as distinct. People also reflected on the perceived long-term effects of psychedelic use. Participants did describe some impacts of psychedelic use specific to their experiences with psychosis, particularly surrounding reduced internal stigma surrounding being diagnosed with a psychotic disorder. Some also shared experiences of insights into delusional thoughts or hallucinations during the acute effects, which often had a lasting impact. Negative acute effects most commonly included anxiety and, in some cases, post-acute sleep disturbances. A minority (n = 4) were hospitalized during the acute effects, typically following high doses and/or polysubstance use. Some participants also reported they felt there was little long-term impact. To examine neurological overlap, resting-state functional connectivity data were analyzed using a connectome-based classification approach. Separate models were created to classify medication-naïve first-episode psychosis (FEP) and the acute effects of LSD, each compared to respective controls. Models included the full connectome and specific network interactions. LSD models showed higher classification accuracy across more network interactions than FEP models, suggesting LSD has more widespread effects on connectivity. Exploratory cross-application of models indicated potential selective overlap, particularly in between-network interactions involving sensorimotor and associative networks. However, these findings should be interpreted cautiously, given the differences in scanner protocols. Overall, this dissertation suggests that psychedelics may not always negatively affect those with a history of psychosis and that psychedelics only partially overlap with psychosis, highlighting the need for more nuanced future comparisons.
ProQuest ID
Recommended Citation
Dourron, Haley Maria, "Psychedelics And Psychosis: An Interdisciplinary Re-Examination" (2025). All ETDs from UAB. 7424.
https://digitalcommons.library.uab.edu/etd-collection/7424
