Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Case Reports
. 2023 Jan;37(1):3-13.
doi: 10.1177/02698811221140009. Epub 2022 Dec 14.

Therapeutic uses of psychedelics for eating disorders and body dysmorphic disorder

Nicole Ledwos  1 , Justyne D Rodas  1   2 , M Ishrat Husain  3   4 , Jamie D Feusner  2   3   4   5 , David J Castle  1   4
Affiliations
Case Reports

Therapeutic uses of psychedelics for eating disorders and body dysmorphic disorder

Nicole Ledwos et al. J Psychopharmacol. 2023 Jan.

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.

Keywords: Body dysmorphic disorder; eating disorder; hallucinogens; psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy; psychedelics.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
PRISMA diagram. PRISMA: preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Agin-Liebes GI, Malone T, Yalch MM, et al. (2020) Long-term follow-up of psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy for psychiatric and existential distress in patients with life-threatening cancer. J Psychopharmacol 34: 155–166. - PubMed
    1. Anderson CB, Carter FA, McIntosh VV, et al. (2002) Self-harm and suicide attempts in individuals with bulimia nervosa. Eat Disord 10: 227–243. - PubMed
    1. Andries A, Frystyk J, Flyvbjerg A, et al. (2014) Dronabinol in severe, enduring anorexia nervosa: A randomized controlled trial. Int J Eat Disord 47: 18–23. - PubMed
    1. Audenaert K, Van Laere K, Dumont F, et al. (2003) Decreased 5-HT2a receptor binding in patients with anorexia nervosa. J Nucl Med 44: 163–169. - PubMed
    1. Bailer UF, Frank GK, Henry SE, et al. (2005) Altered brain serotonin 5-HT1A receptor binding after recovery from anorexia nervosa measured by positron emission tomography and [carbonyl11C]WAY-100635. Arch Gen Psychiatry 62: 1032–1041. - PubMed

MeSH terms