Journal of eating disorders
April 24, 2024
Amanda E Downey, Anita V Chaphekar, Joshua Woolley et al.
13 citations
Clinical trials are testing psilocybin therapy for anorexia nervosa (AN), but individuals with AN have unique medical vulnerabilities. This review describes how common physiologic adverse effects of psilocybin—tachycardia, hypertension, electrocardiogram changes, nausea, headache, and lightheadedness—may interact with medical complications seen in AN. It proposes risk mitigation strategies for each adverse effect. Early evidence suggests psilocybin therapy is well-tolerated in individuals with AN. Understanding AN's medical complications in relation to psilocybin's effects can help tailor strategies to enhance safety and tolerability of this novel intervention.
Journal of eating disorders
May 1, 2025
Silvia Patrícia de Oliveira Silva Bacalhau, Luciana Gonçalves de Orange, Marco Aurélio de Valois Correia Junior et al.
9 citations
A scoping review of six studies (five randomized controlled trials and one single-arm pilot) examined mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) for non-clinical adolescents. Three studies found positive relationships: MBIs increased awareness of eating behaviors, significantly reduced dietary restraint and eating disorder symptoms, and decreased concerns about weight and body shape along with negative affect through improved emotional regulation. Three studies found no statistically significant results. The evidence suggests MBIs can improve eating behavior and body image acceptance, but heterogeneity in sample sizes, age groups, genders, and protocols prevents generalization and underscores the need for further research with standardized protocols.
Journal of eating disorders
September 30, 2024
Adele Lafrance, Meg J Spriggs, Natalie Gukasyan et al.
8 citations
Psychedelic medicine, including psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT), may offer a valuable adjunct to existing treatments for eating disorders, particularly anorexia nervosa, by addressing underlying psychological and transpersonal factors and improving treatment engagement. Preliminary findings from multiple studies suggest promise, though risks remain. This commentary, informed by lived experience and authors' field experience, provides a rationale and multi-dimensional perspective for applying these models as they become more accessible in naturalistic, research, and clinical settings.
Journal of eating disorders
June 12, 2024
Amanda Timek, Catherine Daniels-Brady, Stephen Ferrando
8 citations
A 33-year-old woman with severe and enduring anorexia nervosa (body mass index 13, the lowest documented in the literature) and comorbid major depressive disorder, who had not improved with antidepressants, mood stabilizers, antipsychotics, electroconvulsive therapy, or multiple therapies, received seven sessions of intravenous ketamine combined with acceptance and commitment therapy in a hospital setting. She showed increased cognitive flexibility, disappearance of suicidal ideation, and reduction in Beck Depression Inventory scores. Ketamine-assisted psychotherapy may be a promising treatment for patients with anorexia nervosa and co-morbid depression who have not responded to other interventions.
Journal of eating disorders
March 17, 2025
Paula J Escobedo-Aedo, Chris Serrand, Sarah Kabani et al.
4 citations
Eating disorders severely harm physical health and daily functioning, and few effective treatments exist, especially for anorexia nervosa. In a case series of eight female patients aged 16 to 44 with anorexia nervosa, intravenous ketamine was added to usual care to target rigid, food-focused thoughts. Some sessions included psychomotor or psychological support for body image, self-esteem, and re-exposure to feared foods. Ketamine adjuvant treatment significantly improved body mass index, with a coefficient of 0.71, and showed a tendency to improve weight regain after the fourth or fifth infusion. It also reduced anorexia-related psychopathology and obsessive-compulsive symptoms like rumination and cognitive rigidity. Ketamine's pro-plasticity and pro-neurogenesis effects may underlie these benefits, suggesting it as a potential option after first-line treatment failure.
Journal of eating disorders
June 10, 2025
Camilla Lindvall Dahlgren, Elisabeth Tverrli, Lowan Han Stewart
3 citations
A female patient in her late twenties with anorexia nervosa and comorbid depression underwent a structured protocol of four ketamine-assisted psychotherapy sessions within an Acceptance and Commitment Therapy framework, followed by three ketamine booster treatments. Over a five-month follow-up, symptoms of eating disorder pathology, depression, and anxiety showed marked reduction after the initial sessions, a temporary increase during a therapy-free interval, then further decline and stabilization after boosters. Ketamine was well-tolerated with no new side effects. This case suggests that ketamine-assisted psychotherapy may produce rapid and sustained symptom remission for anorexia nervosa, though more research is needed across different patient groups and treatment protocols.
Journal of eating disorders
July 24, 2025
Sarah-Catherine Rodan, Noah Meez, Sophie Lloyd-Hurwitz et al.
2 citations
Among adults with eating disorders, about one in three reported having used a psychedelic drug at some point, and one in five had used one in the past year. Users tended to be younger, less likely to take prescription drugs or be hospitalized for their eating disorder, and more likely to use other non-prescription drugs and to have ADHD, PTSD, ASD, or substance misuse. Those with anorexia nervosa were less likely to report psychedelic use, while those with an undiagnosed eating disorder were more likely. Qualitative comments described profound transformation, increased connectedness, and new insights into illness, though a few reported bad trips or worsened symptoms. The findings suggest psychedelics may hold promise for this population and warrant clinical trials.
Journal of eating disorders
January 3, 2026
Jesse Dallery, Jennifer L Miller, Jeff Boissoneault et al.
1 citation
In a small open-label pilot study, five adults with binge-eating disorder received a single 25 mg dose of psilocybin combined with Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. No serious adverse events occurred. All participants reported fewer binge-eating episodes through the 14-week follow-up, along with improvements in depression, anxiety, and psychological flexibility. Three participants also lost weight and reduced waist circumference. Because the study was unblinded and had only five participants, the results cannot confirm cause and effect. Brain scans showed hints of increased activity in regions linked to cognitive control and self-awareness when viewing processed versus unprocessed food images. These findings point toward larger, controlled trials.
Journal of eating disorders
April 7, 2025
Dhanush Ammineni, Rebecca Park
1 citation
Obesity involves behavioral factors that traditional treatments often fail to address. Like addiction, a chronic energy-dense diet can disrupt dopaminergic reward circuits, making individuals habitually responsive to food cues despite negative health outcomes. Psychedelics such as psilocybin and LSD may reduce the top-down influence of maladaptive reward predictions on perception and attention, potentially opening a window of psychological flexibility. This could allow individuals to adopt new cognitive and behavioral strategies through assisted psychotherapy, encouraging beneficial changes in eating behavior. However, new research is needed to assess the potential efficacy of this approach for compulsive eating.
Journal of eating disorders
December 29, 2025
Michael Harkhoe, Tim Offringa, Eric Vermetten
No clinical trials of MDMA-assisted therapy have been conducted in patients with eating disorders, including anorexia nervosa. Evidence from PTSD trials suggests MDMA's pro-social, fear-reducing, and neuroplastic properties may enhance emotional processing, therapeutic alliance, and cognitive flexibility—factors that often hinder eating disorder treatment. The paper synthesizes current research on MDMA, PTSD, and eating disorders, reviewing clinical trial outcomes, neurobiological mechanisms, and therapeutic frameworks. It argues that MDMA-assisted therapy may hold promise as an adjunctive treatment for eating disorders with comorbid trauma, but rigorous validation through well-powered trials and careful ethical oversight are needed before clinical integration.
Journal of eating disorders
May 6, 2022
Reid Robison, Adele Lafrance, Madeline Brendle et al.
In a small case series of five patients with eating disorders and co-occurring mood and anxiety disorders, group-based ketamine-assisted psychotherapy (G-KAP) delivered weekly over four weeks in a residential treatment setting was associated with clinically significant improvements in depression scores (PHQ-9) for four of five participants and in anxiety scores (GAD-7) for two of five participants, measured from before dosing to 24 hours after the final session. No serious adverse events occurred, and the protocol was reported as practical to implement. The findings suggest G-KAP may be a useful adjunct to intensive eating disorder treatment, though further research is needed.