Research into Psychedelic-Assisted Psychotherapy for Anorexia Nervosa Should be Funded

AbstractEating disorders are debilitating diseases that have twin impacts on the body and mind and are associated with a number of physiological and psychological comorbidities (Blinder, Cumella, and Sanathara2006; Casiero and Frishman2006), including increased suicide risk (Arcelus et al.2011; Lipson and Sonneville2020). In addition, eating disorders are growing in prevalence (Gilmache et al.2019) and impact women at much higher rates than men (Bearman, Martinez, and Stice2006), especially in adolescence (Spriggs, Kettner, and Carhart-Harris2021). Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a particularly devastating eating disorder, with one of the highest mortality rates of any psychiatric disorder (Sullivan1995). Despite the severity of the condition, current treatments for AN are limited in their efficacy (Khalsa et al.2017). Based on the growing body of evidence demonstrating the short-term and long-term efficacy of psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy for the treatment of other mental illnesses, I argue that research into psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy for AN should be funded.
Source: Journal of Bioethical Inquiry - Category: Medical Ethics Source Type: research