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Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy for People with Eating Disorders
Natalie Gukasyan1, Colleen C Schreyer2, Roland R Griffiths3
1Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, 5510 Nathan Shock Drive, Baltimore, MD, 21224, USA. gukasyan@jhmi.edu.
Current Psychiatry Reports
|November 14, 2022
Summary
Psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT) shows promise for treating eating disorders, including anorexia nervosa. While research is ongoing, PAT may enhance current treatments for these complex conditions.
Area of Science:
- Psychiatry
- Psychopharmacology
- Mental Health
Background:
- Emerging research indicates psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT) may offer safe and effective treatments for various mental health conditions.
- Eating disorders are a recent focus of interest for PAT interventions.
- Anorexia nervosa is a primary focus of this review regarding PAT.
Purpose of the Study:
- To provide an updated summary of the potential mechanisms of PAT in individuals with eating disorders.
- To review the current use of PAT for eating disorders, with a specific emphasis on anorexia nervosa.
Main Methods:
- This review synthesizes recent findings on psychedelic-assisted therapy for eating disorders.
- Focus on mechanisms of action and clinical trial data.
Main Results:
- Classic psychedelics may possess transdiagnostic efficacy relevant to eating disorder pathology.
- Interest and access efforts for PAT are increasing.
- Early clinical trials are evaluating PAT safety and utility, but efficacy is not yet established.
- High-quality data supporting PAT for eating disorders is still limited.
- Recent studies suggest PAT could augment existing treatments for difficult-to-treat eating disorders.
Conclusions:
- Psychedelic-assisted therapy presents a potential novel treatment avenue for eating disorders.
- Further high-quality research is needed to clarify the efficacy and safety of PAT in this population.
- PAT may serve as an adjunctive therapy to improve outcomes for individuals with anorexia nervosa and other eating disorders.
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