New Delhi. Research has shown that psychedelic therapy using psilocybin, used to treat mental conditions such as depression, anxiety and addictions, may also be helpful in treating anorexia nervosa. Anorexia nervosa is a mental condition in which people limit the amount of calories in their diet, but exercise excessively or vomit food out. Due to this there is deficiency of nutrients in the body. Anorexia nervosa cases have the highest mortality rate among mental illnesses.
The lead author of the research, Dr. Stephanie Natz Peck of the University of California, San Diego, USA, said that our findings showed psychological changes in a subgroup of people with anorexia nervosa. The team used a single 25 mg dose of psilocybin along with specialized psychological support. The results of this research have been published in the journal Psychedelics. 60 percent of the participants in the research said that they had noticed a decline in their bodybuilding. Nearly 70 percent reported improvements in quality of life and changes in personal identity, while 40 percent acknowledged that their mental illness related to eating disorders had significantly improved.
However, the treatment’s effect was most visible on size and weight concerns, the team said. But the change in psychological approach did not automatically normalize the weight. The results are promising, the research said, but they also highlight the complexity of treating anorexia nervosa. The team suggested that better treatment could be achieved using psychedelic therapy. Dr. Walter H. Kay, director of the UCSD Eating Disorder Treatment Center, stressed the need for large-scale research to understand brain imaging and genetic analysis. These findings open new avenues for research on personalized therapy approaches for eating disorders.