Psilocybin therapy — used to treat a range of mental health conditions, such as depression, anxiety and addiction — may help treat individuals with anorexia nervosa, a type of eating disorder, according to research Thursday.
Anorexia nervosa is a mental illness where people restrict their food intake, but exercise more, and/or purge food through laxatives and vomiting. It has the highest mortality rate among psychiatric diseases.
“Our findings suggest that psilocybin may be helpful in supporting meaningful psychological change in a subgroup of people with anorexia nervosa,” lead author Dr. Stephanie Natz Peck said.
The team employed a single 25mg dose of psilocybin with specialized psychological support before, during and after administration.
The results, published in the journal Psychedelics, showed that “60 percent of participants reported a reduction in the way they viewed their physical appearance”. About 70 percent showed improvements in quality of life and changes in personal identity, while 40 percent reported clinically significant reductions in eating disorder symptoms.
Although treatment effects were most pronounced in size and weight concerns, changes in psychological outlook did not automatically translate into weight restoration, the team said.
