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BRIEF REPORT

Positive effects of psychedelics on depression and wellbeing scores in individuals reporting an eating disorder M. J. Spriggs1   · H. Kettner1   · R. L. Carhart‑Harris1  Received: 18 June 2020 / Accepted: 28 August 2020 © Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020

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. Level of evidence  Level III, cohort study. Keywords  Anorexia · Bulimia · Binge eating disorder · Prospective online survey · Longitudinal · Psychedelics

Introduction The leading psychotherapeutic treatment for eating disorders (EDs) such as bulimia nervosa (BN) and binge eating disorder (BED) is cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), however there is no consensus on a first-line psychotherapeutic model for anorexia nervosa (AN). While psychotherapeutic treatment is often combined with pharmacological treatments, these may only be efficacious in the management of co-morbid conditions or for weight recovery in AN [1]. As these symptom-focused treatments may be overlooking other, more fundamental components that underlie EDs * M. J. Spriggs [email protected] 1



Centre for Psychedelic Research, Division of Psychiatry, Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London, UK

[2, 3], there is a great need for novel treatment avenues to be explored that may be efficacious across different ED presentations. There is growing interest in the therapeutic use of