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I have a friend who used to be quite involved in the ayahuasca church. He now knows five people from the church who have committed suicide. The fifth just hung

I have a friend who used to be quite involved in the ayahuasca church. He now knows five people from the church who have committed suicide. The fifth just hung himself last weekend. He was 25, and was the son of one of the priestesses in the church. Spent his childhood in the church, being fed ayahuasca regularly. One of them was also a friend of mine. By the time he killed himself he was clinically insane and should have been hospitalized, sadly the services didn't get to him in time. I realise this is about psylocibin, but I think its still appropriate here. Psychedelics are no joke.

semireg 8y ago
What is the ayahuasca church? I’m not familiar.
- cypherpunks01 8y ago
  In the USA, it might refer to UDV (União do Vegetal) http://udvusa.org/ http://udvusa.org/
- psythrow 8y ago
  Santo Daime (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santo_Daime https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santo_Daime)
etaioinshrdlu 8y ago
I think it is a selection effect, it takes a special kind of person to want to do ayahuasca all the time. Or any more mind altering drug. Normal well adjusted people don't use drugs to excess. Maybe a little here and there.
toomanybeersies 8y ago
Do you think that heavy psychedelic use is what caused them to commit suicide, or do you think that these people had their own inner demons, which they tried to combat with psychedelics? In my experience a lot of people with their own issues are drawn to psychedelics as a means managing their demons. In the right setting, they can be incredibly healing. However, for some people, psychedelics become a means of coping, tripping becomes their default state and reality becomes too much for them.
- psythrow 8y ago
  Very good point. I know two were abused as children. Two others were raised in the church, so were taking ayahuasca from birth.
xorfish 8y ago
Lifetime psychedelic use is associated with reduced suicidality. "Lifetime classic psychedelic use was associated with a significantly reduced odds of past month psychological distress (weighted odds ratio (OR)=0.81 (0.72-0.91)), past year suicidal thinking (weighted OR=0.86 (0.78-0.94)), past year suicidal planning (weighted OR=0.71 (0.54-0.94)), and past year suicide attempt (weighted OR=0.64 (0.46-0.89)), whereas lifetime illicit use of other drugs was largely associated with an increased likelihood of these outcomes." https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25586402 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25586402

semireg 8y ago

What is the ayahuasca church? I’m not familiar.

cypherpunks01 8y ago
In the USA, it might refer to UDV (União do Vegetal) http://udvusa.org/ http://udvusa.org/
psythrow 8y ago
Santo Daime (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santo_Daime https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santo_Daime)

etaioinshrdlu 8y ago

I think it is a selection effect, it takes a special kind of person to want to do ayahuasca all the time. Or any more mind altering drug. Normal well adjusted people don't use drugs to excess. Maybe a little here and there.

toomanybeersies 8y ago

Do you think that heavy psychedelic use is what caused them to commit suicide, or do you think that these people had their own inner demons, which they tried to combat with psychedelics? In my experience a lot of people with their own issues are drawn to psychedelics as a means managing their demons. In the right setting, they can be incredibly healing. However, for some people, psychedelics become a means of coping, tripping becomes their default state and reality becomes too much for them.

psythrow 8y ago
Very good point. I know two were abused as children. Two others were raised in the church, so were taking ayahuasca from birth.

xorfish 8y ago

Lifetime psychedelic use is associated with reduced suicidality. "Lifetime classic psychedelic use was associated with a significantly reduced odds of past month psychological distress (weighted odds ratio (OR)=0.81 (0.72-0.91)), past year suicidal thinking (weighted OR=0.86 (0.78-0.94)), past year suicidal planning (weighted OR=0.71 (0.54-0.94)), and past year suicide attempt (weighted OR=0.64 (0.46-0.89)), whereas lifetime illicit use of other drugs was largely associated with an increased likelihood of these outcomes." https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25586402 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25586402