Exploring MDMA assisted therapy in eating disorders: mechanisms, clinical evidence, and future directions.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Patients with eating disorders (EDs), particularly anorexia nervosa (AN), experience a complex psychiatric condition often characterized by extreme food restriction, intense fear of weight gain, elevated levels of emotional dysregulation, body image disturbance, and comorbid trauma. Several of these factors can undermine the therapeutic alliance and reduce engagement with treatment, contributing to poorer outcomes. MDMA, a non-classical psychedelic, is being explored as a novel PTSD treatment adjuvans due to its ability to rapidly reduce trauma symptoms and enhance therapeutic alliance. Recent clinical trials and regulatory considerations, as highlighted in emerging research, are shaping its potential therapeutic role, and MDMA may offer a unique mechanism to disrupt mal

SUBMITTER: Harkhoe M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12751933 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature