Ayahuasca in Adolescence: A Preliminary Psychiatric Assessment

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Autor	Ano	Local de Publicação	Local Tema
SILVEIRA, Dartiu Xavier Da; GROB, Charles S.; RIOS, Marlene Dobkin de; LOPEZ, Enrique; ALONSO, Luisa K.; TACLA, Cristiane & SILVEIRA, Evelyn Doering	2005

Instituição de Origem	Estado Instituição	Instituição Responsável
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs		Núcleo Interdisciplinar de Estudos sobre Psicoativos - NEIP

Formato da Obra	Formato Disponível	Número de Páginas	Idioma
Artigo em Periódico	Texto integral	6	Inglês

Resumo

Ayahuasca is believed to be harmless for those (including adolescents) drinking it within a religious setting. Nevertheless controlled studies on the mental/ psychiatric status of ritual hallucinogenic ayahuasca concoction consumers are still lacking. In this study, 40 adolescents from a Brazilian ayahuasca sect were compared with 40 controls matched on sex, age, and educational background for psychiatric symptomatology. Screening scales for depression, anxiety, alcohol consumption patterns (abuse), attentional problems, and body dysmorphic disorders were used. It was found that, compared to controls, considerable lower frequencies of positive scoring for anxiety, body dismorphism, and attentional problems were detected among ayahuasca-using adolescents despite overall similar psychopathological profiles displayed by both study groups. Low frequencies of psychiatric symptoms detected among adolescents consuming ayahuasca within a religious context may reflect a protective effect due to their religious affiliation. However further studies on the possible interference of other variables in the outcome are necessary.