This trial evaluates the safety, feasibility, and preliminary efficacy of psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy for individuals with treatment-resistant anorexia nervosa who have not responded to standard evidence-based interventions.
Aims
This clinical trial, in collaboration with Imperial College London, aims to assess the safety, feasibility, mechanism of change, and preliminary efficacy of psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy in individuals with treatment-resistant Anorexia Nervosa (AN). This study has the potential to offer a transformative new treatment option for individuals with long-standing, treatment-resistant AN.
Background
AN is a severe psychiatric illness characterised by extreme malnutrition and high treatment resistance. Current interventions targeting core features—such as fear of weight gain and ritualised behaviours—are often ineffective, with dropout rates of 20–50% in inpatient care and up to 70% in outpatient settings. If left untreated, 20–30% of individuals develop a chronic, life-long form of AN with very limited, often invasive, treatment options. There is an urgent need for innovative therapies that can improve outcomes in this hard-to-treat population. By exploring psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy, the trial seeks to reduce core eating disorder symptoms, enhance motivation for recovery, and lay the groundwork for future, more effective interventions.
Recruitment now open: panorexia.study@sydney.edu.au
Psychedelic use in individuals living with eating disorders or disordered eating: findings from the international MED–FED survey
Rodan, S.C., Meez, N., Lloyd-Hurwitz, S., Bedoya-Pérez, M.A., Suraev, A., Sommer, N., Greenstien, K., Maguire, S. & McGregor, I.S.
Journal of Eating Disorders.
13(1), p.152.
Prescription and Nonprescription Drug Use Among People With Eating Disorders
Rodan, S.C., Maguire, S., Meez, N., Greenstien, K., Zartarian, G., Mills, K.L., Suraev, A., Bedoya-Pérez, M.A. & McGregor, I.S.
JAMA Network Open.
8(7), e2522406.
Psilocybin as a Novel Pharmacotherapy for Treatment-Refractory Anorexia Nervosa
Rodan, S. C., Aouad, P., McGregor, I. S., & Maguire, S.
OBM Neurobiology.
5(2), 1-25.
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