Therapeutic uses of psychedelics for eating disorders and body dysmorphic disorder
This review (2022) evaluates the potential use of psychedelics in treating body dysmorphic disorder and other eating disorders.
Authors
- Muhammad Ishrat Husain
Published
Abstract
Background
Clinical use of psychedelics has gained considerable attention, with promising benefits across a range of mental disorders. Current pharmacological and psychotherapeutic treatments for body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) and eating disorders (EDs) have limited efficacy. As such, other treatment options such as psychedelic-assisted therapies are being explored in these clinical groups.
Aims
This systematic review evaluates evidence related to the therapeutic potential of psychedelics in individuals diagnosed with BDD and EDs.
Methods
Following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines, we conducted a systematic review of all study designs published to the end of February 2022 that identified changes in ED/BDD symptom severity from psychedelics using validated measures to assess symptom changes.
Results
Our search detected a total of 372 studies, of which five met inclusion criteria (two exploratory studies, two case reports, and one prospective study). These were included in the data evaluation. Effects of psychedelics on BDD and various ED symptoms were identified mostly through thematic analyses and self-reports.
Conclusions
Our findings highlight that more research is needed to determine the safety and efficacy of psychedelics in BDD and EDs and we suggest avenues for future exploration.
Research Summary of 'Therapeutic uses of psychedelics for eating disorders and body dysmorphic disorder'
Introduction
Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) and eating disorders (EDs), particularly anorexia nervosa (AN), are psychiatric conditions marked by excessive preoccupation with appearance and disturbed eating behaviours, and they carry high morbidity, mortality and functional impairment. Ledwos and colleagues note overlap between BDD and EDs in phenomenology, sociodemographic features, and neurobiological findings such as altered visuospatial processing and serotonergic signalling; conventional treatments (psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy) produce limited and often unsustained responses, prompting calls for novel interventions. In response to this treatment gap, the study aimed to systematically review published evidence to the end of February 2022 on the therapeutic potential of classic serotonergic psychedelics (for example psilocybin, LSD, ayahuasca, DMT, mescaline) for patients with diagnosed EDs and/or BDD. The authors restricted the search to agents acting largely via 5-HT2A receptor agonism and excluded MDMA due to its differing pharmacology; the review set out to collect and critically evaluate all study designs reporting symptom change in these populations.
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Study Details
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- APA Citation
Ledwos, N., Rodas, J. D., Husain, M. I., Feusner, J. D., & Castle, D. J. (2023). Therapeutic uses of psychedelics for eating disorders and body dysmorphic disorder. Journal of Psychopharmacology, 37(1), 3-13. https://doi.org/10.1177/02698811221140009
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Petridis, P. D., Grinband, J., Agin-Liebes, G. et al. · Nature Mental Health (2024)
Buchborn, T., Kettner, H., Kartner, L. et al. · Frontiers in Neuroscience (2023)
Feusner, J. D., Wheaton, M. G., Gomez, G. J. et al. · Journal of Psychiatric Research (2023)
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