Subreddit r/HPPD is an online community that provides support for those who suffer from Hallucinogen Persisting Perception Disorder (HPPD). HPPD is a very rare disorder in which a person will experience continued hallucinations, typically paired with visual snow, usually after taking a psychedelic drug. The subreddit recently announced its very first observational study in partnership with scientific research app Quantified Citizen. The study, “Anxiety and Hallucinogen Persisting Perception Disorder, Can You See It?,” is meant to investigate the possible connection between anxiety and HPPD development. The study will target r/HPPD community members but is open to anyone with HPPD.

r/HPPD moderator and study lead Sophia Alcala drew from observations of community members discussing their experience wtih anxiety. “I wanted to partner with Quantified Citizen in order to figure out how anxiety relates to HPPD symptoms reported by our members. I’ve noticed that anxiety seems to worsen our member’s HPPD, and it would be helpful if we could find out more about it and other factors that may relate to HPPD symptoms’ worsening or improvement,” said Alcala.

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