Psychedelics in the treatment of eating disorders: Rationale and potential mechanisms
European Neuropsychopharmacology June 21, 2023 Seline Mock, Nicole Friedli, Patrick Pasi et al. 46 citations
Eating disorders are serious illnesses with high mortality and comorbidity. Psychedelic-assisted therapy shows promise for common comorbidities like mood disorders, PTSD, and substance use disorders, and may also benefit eating disorders themselves. This review summarizes preliminary data on ketamine, MDMA, psilocybin, and ayahuasca for anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorder. Preliminary evidence suggests psychedelic-assisted therapy may be effective for anorexia and bulimia, with very little data on binge eating disorder. Potential mechanisms include improving body image beliefs, normalizing reward processing, promoting cognitive flexibility, and facilitating trauma processing, alongside general therapeutic factors. Safety concerns and future research recommendations are discussed.