Positive effects of psychedelics on depression and wellbeing scores in individuals reporting an eating disorder
This prospective survey study (n=28) found significant improvements on depression and well-being scores after psychedelics use for those with eating disorders (EDs).
Authors
- Robin Carhart-Harris
- Hannes Kettner
- Meg Spriggs
Published
Abstract
“Purpose: Psychedelic therapy is showing promise for a broad range of mental health conditions, indicative of a transdiagnostic action. While the efficacy of symptom-focused treatments for eating disorders (EDs) is limited, improved mental health and psychological wellbeing are thought to contribute to greater treatment outcomes. This study provides the first quantitative exploration of the psychological effects of psychedelics in those reporting an ED diagnosis.
Methods
Prospective, online data were collected from individuals planning to take a psychedelic drug. Twenty-eight participants reporting a lifetime ED diagnosis completed measures of depressive symptomology (Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomology; QIDS-SR16) and psychological wellbeing (Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale; WEMWBS) 1-2 weeks before, and 2 weeks after a psychedelic experience. Twenty-seven of these participants also completed a measure of emotional breakthrough [Emotional Breakthrough Inventory (EBI)] in relation to the acute psychedelic experience.
Results
Bayesian t-tests demonstrated overwhelming evidence for improvements in depression and wellbeing scores following the psychedelic experience. Marginal evidence was also found for a correlation between emotional breakthrough and the relevant mental health improvements.
Conclusion
These findings provide supportive evidence for positive psychological aftereffects of a psychedelic experience that are relevant to the treatment of EDs. It is hoped that this will encourage further research and will bolster initiatives to directly examine the safety and efficacy of psychedelic-assisted therapy as a treatment of EDs in future clinical trials.”
Research Summary of 'Positive effects of psychedelics on depression and wellbeing scores in individuals reporting an eating disorder'
Introduction
Treatment options for eating disorders (EDs) such as bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder and anorexia nervosa remain limited in efficacy across presentations, and existing approaches tend to be symptom-focused. Earlier research has identified abnormal serotonin functioning and high emotional avoidance as potential contributors to ED pathology, creating a mechanistic rationale for exploring classic psychedelics (LSD, psilocybin, DMT/ayahuasca) that act primarily via 5-HT2A receptor agonism. Recent clinical trials in other conditions have suggested that psychedelic-assisted interventions can produce meaningful mental health benefits and that the quality of the acute experience—for example, emotional breakthrough—predicts longer-term outcomes. Naturalistic reports and qualitative work have also suggested possible benefits for people with EDs, but no controlled clinical trials have yet reported results in this population. This study sought to provide the first quantitative, prospective assessment of psychological outcomes following a psychedelic experience in people reporting a lifetime ED diagnosis. Specifically, the investigators hypothesised that depressive symptom severity and psychological wellbeing would improve from baseline to two weeks after a planned psychedelic experience, and they explored whether self-reported emotional breakthrough during the acute experience was associated with these changes. Data were collected in a naturalistic, online cohort design to inform future controlled trials and mechanistic research relevant to ED treatment.
Expert Research Summaries
Go Pro to access AI-powered section-by-section summaries, editorial takes, and the full research toolkit.
Study Details
- Study Typeindividual
- Journal
- Topics
- Authors
- APA Citation
Spriggs, M. J., Kettner, H., & Carhart-Harris, R. L. (2021). Positive effects of psychedelics on depression and wellbeing scores in individuals reporting an eating disorder. Eating and Weight Disorders - Studies on Anorexia, Bulimia and Obesity, 26(4), 1265-1270. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40519-020-01000-8
References (5)
Papers cited by this study that are also in Blossom
Nutt, D. J., Erritzoe, D., Carhart-Harris, R. L. · Cell (2020)
Roseman, L., Haijen, E. C. H. M., Idialu-Ikato, K. et al. · Journal of Psychopharmacology (2019)
Lafrance, A., Loizaga-Velder, A., Fletcher, J. et al. · Journal of Psychoactive Drugs (2017)
Zeifman, R. J., Wagner, A. C., Watts, R. et al. · Frontiers in Psychiatry (2020)
Haijen, E. C. H. M., Kaelen, M., Roseman, L. et al. · Frontiers in Pharmacology (2018)
Cited By (32)
Papers in Blossom that reference this study
Peck, S. K., Knatz Peck, S., Brewerton, T. D. et al. · Journal of Eating Disorders (2025)
Zeifman, R. J., Spriggs, M. J., Kettner, H. et al. · Scientific Reports (2025)
Nicholas, C. R., Banks, M. I., Lennertz, R. L. et al. · Translational Psychiatry (2024)
Gordon, A. R., Carrithers, B. M., Pagni, B. A. et al. · Research Square (2024)
Williams, M., Miller, A. K., Lafrance, A. · Eating Disorders - The Journal of Treatment & Prevention (2023)
Zeifman, R. J., Kettner, H., Pagni, B. A. et al. · Scientific Reports (2023)
Peck, S. K., Shao, S., Grue, T. et al. · Nature Medicine (2023)
Mccrone, P., Fisher, H., Knight, C. et al. · Psychological Medicine (2023)
Kopra, E., Ferris, J. A., Winstock, A. R. et al. · Journal of Psychopharmacology (2023)
Lutkajtis, A., Evans, J. · Journal of Psychedelic Studies (2023)
Show all 32 papersShow fewer
Butler, M., Seynaeve, M., Bao, J. et al. · Journal of Clinical Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience (2023)
Ledwos, N., Rodas, J. D., Husain, M. I. et al. · Journal of Psychopharmacology (2022)
Giribaldi, B., Lyons, T., Rosas, F. E. et al. · Journal of Psychopharmacology (2022)
Gukasyan, N., Schreyer, C. C., Griffiths, R. R. et al. · Current Psychiatry Reports (2022)
Watts, R., Kettner, H., Gandy, S. et al. · Psychopharmacology (2022)
Nygart, V., Pommerencke, L. M., Haijen, E. et al. · Journal of Psychopharmacology (2022)
Hipólito, I., Mago, J., Rosas, F. E. et al. · Psyarxiv (2022)
Amada, N., Shane, J. · Journal of Humanistic Psychology (2022)
Johnson, S., Letheby, C. · Journal of Psychedelic Studies (2022)
Brewerton, T. D., Wang, J. B., Lafrance, A. et al. · Journal of Psychiatric Research (2022)
Murphy, R., Murphy-Beiner, A., Kettner, H. et al. · Frontiers in Pharmacology (2022)
Ragnhildstveit, A., Slayton, M., Jackson, L. K. et al. · Brain Sciences (2022)
Dursun, S. M., Kelly, J. R., Gillan, C. M. et al. · Frontiers in Psychiatry (2021)
Strumila, R., Guillaume, S. · Pharmaceuticals (2021)
Verroust, V., Zafar, R., Spriggs, M. J. · Annales Médico-Psychologiques (2021)
Harding, F., Seynaeve, M., Keeler, J. et al. · Journal of Integrative Neuroscience (2021)
Hübner, S., Haijen, E. C. H. M., Kaelen, M. et al. · Journal of Medical Internet Research (2021)
Kočárová, C., Horacek, J., Carhart-Harris, R. L. · Frontiers in Psychiatry (2021)
Corrigan, K., Haran, M., Mccandliss, C. et al. · Irish Journal of Medical Science (2021)
Carhart-Harris, R. L., Wagner, A. C., Agrawal, M. et al. · Journal of Psychopharmacology (2021)
Kettner, H., Rosas, F. E., Timmermann, C. et al. · Frontiers in Pharmacology (2021)
Aday, J. S., Davis, A. K., Mitzkovitz, C. M. et al. · ACS Pharmacology and Translational Science (2021)
Your Personal Research Library
Go Pro to save papers, add notes, rate studies, and organize your research into custom shelves.