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Changes in recreational drug use, reasons for those changes and their consequence during and after the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK

Bălăeţ, Maria ; Zadel, Ana LU orcid ; Lingford-Hughes, Anne ; Paterson, Louise M. ; Chamberlain, Samuel R. ; Trender, William ; Hellyer, Peter J. and Hampshire, Adam (2025) In Comprehensive Psychiatry 140.
Abstract

Changes in drug use in the general population during the COVID-19 pandemic and their long-term consequences are not well understood. We employed natural language processing and machine learning to analyse a large dataset of self-reported rates of and reasons for drug use during the pandemic, along with their associations with anxiety, depression and substance use problems post-pandemic. Our findings revealed a transient decrease in drug use at the pandemic's peak, primarily attributed to reduced social opportunities. Conversely, some participants reported increased drug use for self-medication, boredom, and lifestyle disruptions. While users of psychedelics and MDMA had anxiety and depression rates similar to non-users, users of opioid... (More)

Changes in drug use in the general population during the COVID-19 pandemic and their long-term consequences are not well understood. We employed natural language processing and machine learning to analyse a large dataset of self-reported rates of and reasons for drug use during the pandemic, along with their associations with anxiety, depression and substance use problems post-pandemic. Our findings revealed a transient decrease in drug use at the pandemic's peak, primarily attributed to reduced social opportunities. Conversely, some participants reported increased drug use for self-medication, boredom, and lifestyle disruptions. While users of psychedelics and MDMA had anxiety and depression rates similar to non-users, users of opioid agonists and depressants—representing one in ten active drug users—reported greater mental health challenges post-pandemic. These results suggest that a subset of active drug users with distinct profiles faces elevated risks, particularly for anxiety and depression, and may benefit from targeted support.

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author
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organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Benzodiazepines, COVID-19, Large scale survey, Longitudinal research, MDMA, Mental health, Natural language processing, Opioids, Psychedelics, Recreational drug use
in
Comprehensive Psychiatry
volume
140
article number
152598
publisher
W.B. Saunders
external identifiers
  • pmid:40250155
  • scopus:105002679339
ISSN
0010-440X
DOI
10.1016/j.comppsych.2025.152598
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
ef05ae34-3484-48c2-9466-594062843ddb
date added to LUP
2025-08-06 10:40:15
date last changed
2025-08-06 13:26:52
@article{ef05ae34-3484-48c2-9466-594062843ddb,
  abstract     = {{<p>Changes in drug use in the general population during the COVID-19 pandemic and their long-term consequences are not well understood. We employed natural language processing and machine learning to analyse a large dataset of self-reported rates of and reasons for drug use during the pandemic, along with their associations with anxiety, depression and substance use problems post-pandemic. Our findings revealed a transient decrease in drug use at the pandemic's peak, primarily attributed to reduced social opportunities. Conversely, some participants reported increased drug use for self-medication, boredom, and lifestyle disruptions. While users of psychedelics and MDMA had anxiety and depression rates similar to non-users, users of opioid agonists and depressants—representing one in ten active drug users—reported greater mental health challenges post-pandemic. These results suggest that a subset of active drug users with distinct profiles faces elevated risks, particularly for anxiety and depression, and may benefit from targeted support.</p>}},
  author       = {{Bălăeţ, Maria and Zadel, Ana and Lingford-Hughes, Anne and Paterson, Louise M. and Chamberlain, Samuel R. and Trender, William and Hellyer, Peter J. and Hampshire, Adam}},
  issn         = {{0010-440X}},
  keywords     = {{Benzodiazepines; COVID-19; Large scale survey; Longitudinal research; MDMA; Mental health; Natural language processing; Opioids; Psychedelics; Recreational drug use}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  publisher    = {{W.B. Saunders}},
  series       = {{Comprehensive Psychiatry}},
  title        = {{Changes in recreational drug use, reasons for those changes and their consequence during and after the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.comppsych.2025.152598}},
  doi          = {{10.1016/j.comppsych.2025.152598}},
  volume       = {{140}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}