MDMA-assisted therapy significantly reduces eating disorder symptoms in a randomized placebo-controlled trial of adults with severe PTSD.
Journal of psychiatric research May 1, 2022 Timothy D Brewerton, Julie B Wang, Adele Lafrance et al. 81 citations
Among 89 individuals with severe PTSD enrolled in a placebo-controlled trial of MDMA-assisted therapy, 15% had eating disorder symptoms in the clinical range and 31.5% in the high-risk range at baseline, despite no active purging or low weight. After treatment, participants who received MDMA-assisted therapy showed significantly greater reductions in eating disorder symptoms compared to those who received placebo, especially among women with elevated baseline scores. The findings suggest that eating disorder psychopathology is common in severe PTSD and that MDMA-assisted therapy may reduce these co-occurring symptoms.