Outcomes of usage of psychedelics by people reporting an eating disorder in clinical and non-clinical settings: a scoping review
Advances in Mental Health – July 13, 2023
Source: OpenAlex
Summary
People with eating disorders experienced significant symptom reduction and even complete remission following psychedelic use, including psilocybin. This review of six studies suggests a promising role for hallucinogens in clinical psychology and psychiatry. Participants reported profound spiritual healing, gaining insights into the psychological origins of their eating disorders, and reduced anxiety. While preliminary, these findings highlight the potential of psychedelics in medicine. Rigorous clinical trials are now essential to confirm efficacy for eating disorders, informing future drug studies and advancing our understanding of these compounds' influence on behavior.
Abstract
Objective To map the studies reporting the use of psychedelics in clinical and non-clinical settings by people reporting an eating disorder (ED) and their outcomes.Method To be included, peer-reviewed articles had to be written in English or Spanish and had to address the usage of psychedelics by people reporting an ED. Searches were conducted on PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science. Data on key study characteristics and the findings from the studies were charted using a standardised form. Two reviewers independently charted the data from the included articles. Quality appraisal was conducted for all included studies.Results Six studies reporting the use of ayahuasca, DMT/5-MEO-DMT, LSD/1P-LSD, San Pedro/mescaline, psilocybin, and ketamine were included. After the psychedelic experiences, many participants reported diminished ED symptoms, reductions in anxiety, self-harm, suicidality, and problematic substance use, significant improvements in depression and wellbeing, and changes in self-perception, and some showed complete remission. Several participants felt profound spiritual healing and reported achieving deep insights into the psychological origins of their ED. All the qualitative studies met 100% of the quality appraisal criteria, whereas the quantitative studies were rated from between 20% and 60%.Discussion All included studies suggest that psychedelics promise therapeutic value for eating disorders. These findings are preliminary, and randomised controlled trials are necessary to prove psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy efficacy and long-term implications for eating disorders. Major changes in drug policy are urgent to facilitate research about psychedelics.Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT04661514.Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT04052568.Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT04505189.