Psilocybin therapy shows early promise in treating anorexia
Could psilocybin be the key to treating anorexia?
A small pilot study found that psilocybin, combined with talk therapy, rapidly reduced anorexia symptoms and increased motivation to change in women with the disorder. While not a cure-all, the results suggest the psychedelic could kick-start recovery, though experts caution that more research is needed and that the drug isn't without risks.
“People have likened anorexia to a slow suicide. To have that flip to feeling like ‘I want to live and be healthy’ is massive.”
- bbayles
Anecdata, but an acquaintance of mine struggled with lifelong anorexia. Severe enough that he was hospitalized a few times. With great effort he could cling to the bottom of the "normal BMI" range, but his life was generally ruled by the eating disorder - he couldn't have meals with people, he had to do various exercise rituals.
He was an early participant in one of these psychedelic studies a few years ago. After the first treatment, he said he couldn't really tell if it had any effect. But six months later, he was totally changed - able to function almost normally.
We should exercise our usual amount of skepticism about miracle treatments, but my hope is that his experience can be replicated.
- inigyou
Psychedelics open your brain up to rewiring in some way, and can be used under direction to treat a lot of things. But of course, people who didn't like the Vietnam War used them recreationally, which is why the US government made them globally illegal.
- ulrikrasmussen
I lost a family member to anorexia, and the only thing I really regret is that I didn't suggest that we try psychedelic therapy now that everything else had failed and things looked pretty grim. I mostly blame myself for not pushing the idea. But I am also angry at the war on drugs which has caused all use of psychoactive drugs to be associated with such taboo.
- mikert89
Psychedelics arent that far from turning your brain off and then turning it back on again
but anyone i have met that did Psychedelics more than a few times, permanently changed their brain chemistry in a way that was obvious. clearly they are doing some kind of unraveling that doesnt fully bounce back
- stephenitis
I attended a presentation at the maps conference in ‘23(?). The presenter said that the effect was not enduring for those on already on a path to recovery. She hypothesized that the body need nourishment and a lot of ancillary support to sustain that kind of neurological change.
(I’ll try to search for it when I have free time)
Psychedelic trips are taxing on the body and I think I agree with the hypothesis nutrients are underestimated in supporting a healthy mind in these states, from personal experience.