anorexia nervosa – mycolab.ai

If psychedelics heal, how do they do it?

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Psychedelic drugs like MDMA and magic mushrooms are showing remarkable promise in treating serious mental health conditions like PTSD and depression, with clinical trials demonstrating higher success rates than traditional therapy alone. However, scientists still don’t fully understand how these drugs work at the molecular and brain level, or whether the hallucinations they produce are necessary for healing. Researchers are investigating whether modified versions without hallucinations could provide the same benefits while being easier to administer, while also exploring how individual factors and treatment environment affect outcomes.

Evolution and Comparative Analysis of Clinical Trials on Psilocybin in the Treatment of Psychopathologies: Trends in the EU and the US

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Researchers are studying psilocybin, a compound from certain mushrooms, as a potential treatment for depression, anxiety, and addiction. The United States has significantly more clinical trials underway than the European Union, reflecting different regulatory approaches and funding levels. While US trials progress faster, EU trials emphasize safety and careful evaluation. Both regions show promising results when psilocybin is combined with professional psychological support in controlled settings.

Exploring the neurobiological correlates of psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy in eating disorders: a review of potential methodologies and implications for the psychedelic study design

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This review examines how psilocybin-assisted therapy might work for eating disorders by looking at various ways to measure changes in the brain. The authors discuss different brain imaging techniques and other tools that scientists could use to understand how psilocybin affects the brains of people with eating disorders. They emphasize that combining multiple measurement approaches provides the best understanding of how this emerging treatment works and can guide future research and clinical applications.

Psychedelics and Suicide-Related Outcomes: A Systematic Review

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This comprehensive review examined how psychedelic substances like psilocybin and MDMA affect suicidal thoughts. Overall, psilocybin and MDMA-assisted therapy showed promise in reducing suicidal ideation in controlled clinical settings, with effects appearing within weeks. However, LSD use was associated with increased suicidal thoughts. The researchers conclude that while psychedelics show potential, more research is needed to ensure safety and understand how they work.

Mushrooms, Microdosing, and Mental Illness: The Effect of Psilocybin on Neurotransmitters, Neuroinflammation, and Neuroplasticity

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This review examines how psilocybin, the active compound in certain mushrooms, may help treat depression and anxiety by reducing brain inflammation and promoting healthy neurotransmitter function. Both full doses under medical supervision and smaller ‘microdoses’ show promise for mental health conditions. The research suggests psilocybin works by calming the immune system’s inflammatory response while simultaneously supporting the brain’s natural healing and adaptation processes, offering a potential alternative treatment when standard medications don’t work.

Psychedelics and the Serotonin Hypothesis of Eating Disorders

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This review explores how psychedelic drugs like psilocybin (found in certain mushrooms) might help treat eating disorders by promoting flexible thinking and breaking rigid eating patterns. The authors summarize evidence from animal studies and early clinical trials showing that psychedelics work differently than traditional antidepressants by triggering brain changes that help people adopt new, healthier behaviors. While results are promising, more research is needed to determine the best doses, patient populations, and long-term safety.

Therapeutic emergence of dissociated traumatic memories during psilocybin treatment for anorexia nervosa

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Two patients with severe anorexia nervosa received psilocybin-assisted therapy and unexpectedly recovered memories of sexual assault that had been unconsciously suppressed. Processing these traumatic memories with professional support led both patients to achieve remission from their eating disorders within three months. This case report suggests that psilocybin may help unlock and heal deeply buried trauma underlying eating disorders, though more research is needed to understand how this works and ensure patient safety.

Psilocybin therapy and anorexia nervosa: a narrative review of safety considerations for researchers and clinicians

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This review examines the safety of psilocybin therapy for treating anorexia nervosa, a serious eating disorder with limited treatment options. The authors analyze how psilocybin’s common side effects (like increased heart rate, nausea, and dizziness) interact with medical complications already present in people with anorexia. Based on early clinical trials, they conclude that psilocybin can be safely used in this population with proper medical screening and monitoring protocols tailored to their specific vulnerabilities.

Global species diversity and distribution of the psychedelic fungal genus Panaeolus

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This study is a comprehensive catalog of 77 Panaeolus mushroom species worldwide, of which 20 are known to be hallucinogenic and contain psilocybin. Researchers found that these mushrooms are most commonly documented in Asia, South America, and Europe, but many regions have little to no research data. The review highlights significant gaps in our knowledge about where these species exist and which ones truly contain psychoactive compounds, information that is crucial as these fungi become legal in more countries for medical use.

Why psychedelic-assisted therapy studies in eating disorders risk missing the mark on outcomes: a phenomenological psychopathology perspective

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This scientific commentary examines how research on psychedelic-assisted therapy for eating disorders may be missing important aspects of how people actually experience the treatment. The authors argue that current study methods rely too heavily on questionnaires that don’t capture the full depth of what people experience during psychedelic sessions. They propose using phenomenological approaches—methods that deeply explore lived experience—to better understand which aspects of the psychedelic experience actually lead to recovery from eating disorders.

Disease: anorexia nervosa