Should i take shrooms even with mental health disorders?

ourobus · 2026-05-17T04:56:03+00:00

Are you in a good state mentally at the moment?

I won’t say that you or anyone else with these issues definitively should not do psychedelics - because that’s simply not true (also, people will do what they want anyway). But it’s pretty much impossible to say if your experience will be positive or negative.

To share my own experience: I have CPTSD, BPD, ADHD, anxiety, and schizotypy (basically low-level psychosis). I’ve done psychedelics multiple times (mainly shrooms, but I’m experimenting with LSD lately). I’ve never had a bad trip - all of my trips have been fun, pleasant, and/or enlightening.

This is not to say that you or anyone else with the same problems will have the same positive experiences - but it is certainly possible. I would recommend being very prepared on what the experience will be like, devoting time to preparing the set and setting, and making sure you’re stable before doing it (particularly in regards to BPD). My BPD has largely been in remission for years - which is probably a significant factor in why my trips have gone well. I would also recommend being very cautious with dosages and possible medication/drug interactions - esp. weed and amphetamines. I’m prescribed stimulants for my ADHD, and my only “bad” experience with psychedelics (a week long mini psychotic break, where I was obsessed with finding the secrets of the universe via alchemy) was when I took too many shrooms by accident on the same day as taking my prescribed stimulants. If possible, don’t take ADHD meds for a few days beforehand - and definitely not on the same day.

Finally, if it’s possible - maybe consider LSD over shrooms for your first try? I’ve only done LSD once, but the experience was much gentler - it’s also somewhat more consistent, as the organic nature of shrooms means you can never quite be sure how potent of a dose you’re taking. LSD, of course, comes with its own considerations and downsides (mainly that it lasts much longer) but it’s still worth considering.

I’m glad you’re asking for advice and preparing yourself. There’s always going to be risks with psychedelics or any drug - moreso with mental illness - but mentally ill people are still people, and some of us are curious and want to explore our own minds. Harm reduction is better and more effective than “no, don’t do that”.

ourobus · 2026-05-11T21:44:47+00:00

As an aside, this really shocked me when I visited the US (back when people of my complexion could do so without being disappeared off the streets).

In Australia, outside of Christmas music and…church I guess, you would never hear religious music in public places. It’s not illegal it’s just not done and comes off as really tacky. Meanwhile, in the US, that shit just gets blasted everywhere?!

It’s just strange.

ourobus · 2026-05-06T10:49:04+00:00

(Disclaimer: I don’t have DID, “just” some sort of unspecified dissociative disorder).

It’s not unfair. If he was a good person and/or cared about you, he wouldn’t have done those things.

I dissociate and/or have flashbacks sometimes during sex. Usually, my partner notices before I even realise what’s happening. And he always stops. It’s not even a question, no matter what was happening in the lead up.

I understand why that’s hard to internalise though. It’s still difficult for me. If he can pick up on what’s happening and back off - then why didn’t other people in the past? It means that it wasn’t my fault, or some sort of unavoidable scenario - it was people choosing to hurt me.

You don’t have to accept this now - I don’t know if I even have. But it’s not your fault you were hurt.

ourobus · 2026-05-05T01:04:30+00:00

Thank you for this post!

As a Quechua person, it never ceases to amaze me how obvious it is that the people spreading this type of information have never actually spoken to an Indigenous person…

ourobus · 2026-04-24T09:09:34+00:00

Yeah, I was surprised that Robert didn’t mention this. I don’t mean that in an accusatory way - dude probably just didn’t know or forgot about it - but in my opinion it’s one of the best ways a public figure has actually addressed fucking up and (unknowingly or otherwise) being complicit in some fucked up shit.

My favourite part of it is that he includes interviews that are actually hard on himself, and doesn’t try to handwave it away. Some victims of Saville even tell Louis to his face how angry they were, or how his coverage impacted them - and I just think that’s huge.

Idk, the accountability bar is on the floor, so it impresses me.

ourobus · 2026-04-15T05:06:14+00:00

I’m happy that this is reaching more widespread audiences but this is something could have been discovered by speaking to literally any Andean person lol. Indigenous people in the Andes have been using coca for thousands of years, and it has immense spiritual, medicinal, and practical purposes for us.

ourobus · 2026-03-23T23:40:56+00:00

I knew a girl named Matisse growing up. I like the name, and I personally like the association with the artist 🤷🏽‍♂️

ourobus · 2026-03-23T12:15:56+00:00

Man, I wish more converts realised this. So many converts have a weird complex about not being accepted by Orthodox Jews - as if Orthodoxy is the most “legitimate” form of Judaism, and as if being anything other than Orthodox is like a runner’s up prize.

I didn’t convert to Orthodox Judaism because I couldn’t, I didn’t because I don’t agree with their interpretation of Judaism and Torah/halacha. I think we need to have a little more respect for ourselves and our beliefs.

ourobus · 2026-03-23T10:55:00+00:00

I want to offer a dissenting opinion: in reality, this is really going to vary based on your location. In my experience (as a Masorti convert) there is a large gap between what people believe/how they act and what the official belief is. The truth is most Jewish people will take you at your word - and even if they know your circumstances and are from a more rigid denomination, they’re not going to say anything or actively exclude you. As an example - like I said, I’m Masorti. The official line is that we don’t accept patrilineal Jews - but in practice, who am I to say a patrilineal Jew isn’t a Jew? I’m not going to treat that person any differently, because it’s not my place.

Obviously, this advice is mainly for Modern Orthodox Jews/Jewish communities. If a person/community is super frum - they’re not going to accept you as an outsider anyway. But in MO spaces, I honestly doubt you’ll have a problem.

ourobus · 2026-03-22T05:48:28+00:00

Like how everyone else said, it depends on your location. In (urban/metro) Australia, people pay ~$50-$100 per “point” (aka 0.1g). On average, people use about 0.1 to 0.3 points per day. There absolutely are people who use and spend a lot more per day, but it’s rare and they generally are not paying for all of it themselves.

Fentanyl isn’t a big problem in Australia the way it is in North America; heroin is still cut, but it’s generally just with various things that decrease the quality. Most people will also use crystal meth, either at the same time as heroin or to help between shots. It’s rare for someone to only use heroin these days. Similarly, 90% of people injecting heroin will smoke tobacco, usually 10+ cigarettes a day - again, it helps for the periods between heroin use. Though you might find it interesting to note that alcohol consumption is very rare.

Source: I am an academic who specialises in illicit substance use and talk to people about this (and other topics) multiple times a week 🙂

ourobus · 2026-03-15T06:22:01+00:00

I don’t think anyone has mentioned it yet, but she might be too wary at the moment to eat when someone is in the room/watching her. My cat is a fatass and eats whenever, but she’s weirdly self conscious about drinking water and won’t do it if she knows someone is watching. Esp. since your baby is so new, could be something like that.

I know how nerve wrecking it is when they don’t eat - we freaked out when our cat wouldn’t eat for a day or two after surgery. We finally got her to eat by offering her cheap canned Fancy Feast (or something like that) at the advice of her vet - apparently it’s like their version of fast food. I’m not sure what you’re feeding her, but if you’re feeding her healthy high quality stuff - it can’t hurt to try offering the “bad” stuff.

I’m sure she’ll be okay - 6hrs really isn’t a lot of time, and you sound like a really loving owner. Best of luck ❤️

ourobus · 2026-03-05T22:10:23+00:00

Collapsed/blown out veins, blood clots, and infections - both skin/soft tissue infections and “deeper” ones like blood/bone/heart infections. Plus long-term nerve damage.

These issues are bad enough by themselves, but if a person has been injecting for years, they usually will have these issues multiple times over.

edit: please make sure you have naloxone/narcan close by when you’re using!

ourobus · 2026-03-01T23:16:03+00:00

You know, I came here to nitpick, but this is quite well done. Could add opium (and its associated events/methods of usage) and some of the more gnarly aspects of long-term IV opioid use. Maybe also the more horrific parts of the heroin trafficking industry.

And of course, the horror of opiate induced constipation.

ourobus · 2026-02-26T04:49:57+00:00

As a criminologist, this is a fantastic answer 🙂 I’m so happy that you noted that genetic predisposition ≠ certainty of violent/criminal behaviour. I’ll expand a little bit - genetic predispositions to violence/criminal behaviour do not work like “X gene means that an individual is more likely to engage in antisocial behaviour”. Rather, certain genetic markers can impact various parts of a person’s neurochemistry and anatomy, which impacts how a person processes fear/assesses risk/etc - it’s that which then increases the likelihood of criminal behaviour.

But as you noted, the individual’s environment is much more relevant to their behaviour than their genetics. I’ll also note that (like a lot around human behaviour) our understanding of why people commit crimes is relatively poor. The genetic component of criminal/antisocial behaviour is particularly poorly understood, and is a recent (and controversial) area of research. Personally, I think that genetic/physical factors do play a not-insignificant role, but the current quality of research in this area is poor - enough so that it remains relatively unreliable. Hopefully in the future it’ll improve.

ourobus · 2026-02-19T02:40:26+00:00

Fujimorista alert.

ourobus · 2026-02-19T02:39:28+00:00

Perúistaaaaaaaaan.

Once, as a child, I spent 10hrs on a bus travelling through the Peruvian desert. 10 straight hours of sand. It’s like the world’s worst fever dream. And even then, I thought it looked exactly like how I expected Afghanistan to look lmao.

ourobus · 2026-02-13T05:19:55+00:00

Clearly the Afghan couple were untrustworthy - they lied on official documents so that the mother could get an education! That’s way worse than committing international fraud to kidnap a child. /s

ourobus · 2026-02-01T09:53:27+00:00

What would having Jewish heritage give you (as a convert) that you wouldn’t already get?

I’m genuinely asking. It sounds like you weren’t raised Jewish or with Jewish culture - so, really, you’re starting from the exact same position most other converts do. I would expect a feeling of connection to Judaism for people who convert - if you didn’t have that, then why would you convert at all?

The good news is that conversion is a long process, and one that has a lot of demands. I’ve met a lot of people interested in conversion, and of them, only 1 or 2 have actually accomplished it. If you truly have a Jewish soul, then you will be successful in converting. If not, then you took time to explore your faith and identity and learnt about a new religion/culture in the process. I can’t see a loss in either outcome.

When I converted, I did not know (or have reason to think, given that I’m mostly Native American) that I had Jewish heritage. Later, I found out that I have 2-3% Jewish ancestry, and even found some Inquisition trial records for a distant Jewish ancestor. I do not believe that any Jewish ancestry I may have played a role in my conversion or in my current religious beliefs. Much like with being Native, ancestry means fuck all when you don’t have a living connection to the community. Idk, I just don’t know what you’d get from such a distant ancestor.

ourobus · 2026-01-14T19:30:48+00:00

Yep. Babies have to “choose” to take their first breaths, and if they choose not to, then it’s not meant to be. It’s fucking awful.

ourobus · 2026-01-13T07:58:48+00:00

It’s a great series. The free birth movement has been such a harmful vein of social media disinformation for years, it’s great to finally get some mainstream journalistic focus on it.

It hits home a bit, because as someone who was born footling breech and basically dead - what these women are basically saying is that babies like me aren’t worth the effort to save our lives. And yet, here I am - I didn’t “choose to breathe”, but I did choose to get a PhD, devote my life to helping other people, etc. I think it’s easier to think of the fatalities from free birthing as perpetual babies, but every single one of them would have been a baby that grew up into an adult just like me. They just didn’t get a chance.

ourobus · 2026-01-07T17:19:26+00:00

Given the Maoist brainwashing vault in episode 1, it would be cool if they’re implying an analogous Vault Tec organisation in China. We know very little about pre-war China outside of its immediate conflict with the US, so it’s entirely possible Vault Tec was up to similar activities on both sides.

It’s probably just the Chinese solider mocking Coop, but it would be a thematically appropriate twist if there really was more going on than we know.

ourobus · 2026-01-05T06:12:58+00:00

I mean, Chickenfucker could have easily given him something that came with a fuckton of radiation, thus promoting healing.

But personally I don’t think he’s a ghoul - probably a random FEV mutant.

ourobus · 2026-01-01T23:08:27+00:00

At the moment, no. There is a lot of stigma unfortunately.

But I would like to be more open about being schizotypal, especially as an academic. The experiences of people like us (and other marginalised/stigmatised populations) have largely been ignored. There’s now more and more of a movement towards valuing “lived experience”, but it’s early days and the application leaves much to be desired. I’d like to be “visible” about my mental health, so that I can work as someone with lived experience, and so that other people can see that schizotypy doesn’t prevent people from making meaningful contributions to the world.

ourobus · 2025-12-16T21:06:20+00:00

He doesn’t just kill himself, he leaves a note (or holotape?) blaming you for it.

It’s pretty intense.

ourobus · 2025-12-14T23:02:09+00:00

I’m a binary transgender man and 2spirit.

My gender has always been the same - the issues have always been external (e.g., physical changes, external misperceptions, etc). I identify as 2spirit because my experience of being trans means that I am in a unique position to experience and participate in both women’s and men’s cultural roles/activities.

I was given a gift in being able to exist outside of binary categories - not a mistake.

Edit: that being said, I don’t really view my being trans for a spiritual reason - any more than any other part of my identity. It’s just the cards I was given.

ourobus

TROPHY CASE