Who is using psilocybin? First national survey reveals demographics of magic mushroom users

An analysis of the 2024 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) data revealed that 2.8% of participating Americans aged 12 years or older reported using psilocybin in the past year. When generalized to the full population of the U.S., this corresponds to approximately 8 million individuals. Young adults and men were more likely to have used psilocybin, while women and individuals aged 50 years or older were less likely to use it. The paper was published in The American Journal of Psychiatry.

Psilocybin is a naturally occurring psychedelic compound found in certain species of mushrooms, sometimes called “magic mushrooms.” After ingestion, the body converts psilocybin into psilocin, which affects serotonin receptors in the brain, especially the 5-HT2A receptor. It can alter perception, mood, thinking, and the sense of time. After taking psilocybin, people may experience visual changes, intensified emotions, unusual thoughts, and a feeling of greater connection to other people or the world around them.

The effects usually begin within about 20 to 60 minutes and can last several hours, depending on the dose and how it is taken. Experiences can be pleasant, meaningful, confusing, or frightening, and they are strongly influenced by the person’s mindset and environment. However, psilocybin can sometimes cause panic, paranoia, or worsening of symptoms in people vulnerable to psychosis or certain other mental health conditions.

Psilocybin is being studied as a possible treatment for conditions such as depression, anxiety related to serious illness, and some forms of addiction. In research settings, it is usually given with psychological support and careful screening rather than used as a stand-alone medication. Its legal status varies by country and region, and in many places, it remains illegal outside approved research or regulated clinical settings.

Study author Kevin H. Yang and his colleagues analyzed the results of the 2024 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), aiming to estimate the prevalence of psilocybin use and correlates of its use among Americans aged 12 years or older. The National Survey on Drug Use and Health is an annual cross-sectional survey of the noninstitutionalized U.S. population.

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Data used in this analysis came from 58,633 respondents. Fifty-one percent of the study participants were female. Forty-two percent were 50 years old or older, while 9% were below 18. Fifty-nine percent of study participants identified as non-Hispanic White.

This analysis used participants’ demographic data, whether they suffered from depression in the past year, and their use of various substances including cigarette smoking, nicotine vaping, cannabis use, cocaine use, use of other types of illicit drugs, or misuse of prescription drugs such as pain relievers, stimulants, or sedatives. The survey also tracked if participants were classified as having an alcohol use disorder. The 2024 survey was the first of the NSDUH surveys to ask specifically about psilocybin.

Results showed that 2.8% of participants reported using psilocybin in the past year. If this is generalized to the population of the U.S., that would indicate that 8 million U.S. residents used it in the past year.

Participants between 18 and 25 years of age had 41% higher odds of using psilocybin compared to individuals between 35 and 49 years of age (the reference group), while those aged 50 years and above had nearly three times lower odds of using psilocybin compared to the reference group. Women used psilocybin much less often than men. Non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic individuals were less likely to have used psilocybin in the previous year compared to non-Hispanic White participants.

Interestingly, people with an annual household income between $20,000 and $49,999, as well as those making above $75,000, were more likely to have used psilocybin compared to those with a household income below $20,000. The exception was individuals with a household income between $50,000 and $74,999. Individuals with some college or a college/postgraduate degree had more than two times higher odds of having used psilocybin compared to individuals without a high school diploma.

Individuals suffering from depression had somewhat higher odds of having used psilocybin. The odds that individuals who reported using cannabis would also use psilocybin were over 13 times higher compared to those not using cannabis. Similarly, the odds of using psilocybin were markedly increased in participants who reported using LSD (7.87 times), ketamine (6.03 times), and MDMA (i.e., ecstasy, 3.52 times). They were also somewhat higher in individuals who misused prescription stimulants, used cocaine, engaged in nicotine vaping, or were classified as suffering from alcohol use disorder.

“As psilocybin use continues to increase amid decriminalization efforts, state-level legalization, and potential FDA approval, these nationally representative estimates of past-year psilocybin use prevalence and correlates provide critical data for public health surveillance and clinical practice,” the study authors wrote. “Clinicians should consider screening for psilocybin use, particularly among patients who use other psychedelics or cannabis and those with depression, and inquire about motivations for use and perceived benefits or harms.”

“The finding that individuals with depression are more likely to use psilocybin warrants further investigation, and continued surveillance will be essential to inform evidence-based clinical guidance as psychedelic use increasingly intersects with routine psychiatric care,” they concluded.

The study contributes to the scientific knowledge about psilocybin use habits among the U.S. population. However, although the study authors consider the NSDUH survey to be representative of the U.S. population, it should be noted that the reported response rate was only 11.3%, leaving room for non-response bias to have affected the results (if individuals who participated happened to differ systematically from those who refused participation). Because the study is cross-sectional, it also cannot determine if depression caused participants to use psilocybin, or if psilocybin use caused the depression.

The paper, “Prevalence and Correlates of Past-Year Psilocybin Use in the United States,” was authored by Kevin H. Yang, Avery Eun, and Joseph J. Palamar.