Neurotoxicity and LSD treatment: a follow-up study of 151 patients in Denmark
Abstract
LSD was introduced in psychiatry in the 1950s. Between 1960 and 1973, nearly 400 patients were treated with LSD in Denmark. By 1964, one homicide, two suicides and four suicide attempts had been reported. In 1986 the Danish LSD Damages Law was passed after complaints by only one patient. According to the Law, all 154 applicants received financial compensation for LSD-inflicted harm. The Danish State Archives has preserved the case material of 151 of the 154 applicants. Most of the patients suffered from severe side effects of the LSD treatment many years afterwards. In particular, two-thirds of the patients had flashbacks. With the recent interest in LSD therapy, we should consider the neurotoxic potential of LSD.
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Early landmark studies providing risk estimates based on surveys of LSD-prescribing psychotherapists, inpatient experimental regimens, emergency department clinicians, or a combination of these sources are not generalizable to frameworks implementing widely adopted safety guidelines.
“Early landmark studies providing risk estimates based on surveys of LSD-prescribing psychotherapists,5,6 inpatient experimental regimens,7,8 emergency department clinicians,9 or a combination of these sources10 are not generalizable to frameworks implementing widely adopted safety guidelines.11”
From Adverse Events in Studies of Classic Psychedelics: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (2024) · cites this paper as [7]
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Adverse Events in Studies of Classic Psychedelics: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
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- Authors
- Larsen, J. K.
- Affiliations
- Aarhus University Hospital (DK)
- Corresponding author
- Larsen, Jens Knud
- ORCID
- Larsen, Jens Knud
- Venue
- History of Psychiatry
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2016-03-10
- Volume
- 27
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 172-189
- ISSN
- 0957-154X (ISSN-L)
- 1740-2360
- OpenAlex
- W2342018515
- Cited by
- 29
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 1 · 2022: 4 · 2021: 2 · 2020: 5 · 2019: 1 · 2018: 5 · 2017: 4 · 2016: 1
- FWCI
- 4.90
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- History of Psychiatry (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Psychedelics and Drug Studies
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Historical Psychiatry and Medical Practices
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Electroconvulsive Therapy Studies
- Keywords
- lysergic acid diethylamide, LSD, neurotoxicity, psychedelic therapy, flashbacks, late effects, compensation for damages, suicide and homicide
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Denmark, Female, Follow-Up Studies, Humans, Lysergic Acid Diethylamide, Male, Middle Aged, Liability, Legal, Neurotoxicity Syndromes, History, 20th Century
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