Popularity of Psilocybin, Psychedelics Hasn't Increased ER Visits

Key Takeaways

Increased use of psychedelics hasn’t caused a rise in emergency room visits and hospitalizations

Psychedelics account for fewer than 2% of hospital visits related to substance use

After a small increase early in the COVID pandemic, hospital admissions declined through 2023

FRIDAY, Nov. 21, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Increased use of hallucinogens like psilocybin hasn’t created an increase in ER visits or hospitalizations for bad trips, researchers recently reported in JAMA Network Open .

“In fact, after a small rise through early 2020, admissions declined through 2023, with no correlation to decriminalization policies,” senior researcher Dr. Kevin Xu , an assistant professor of psychiatry at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri, said in a ne