Linked above and originally published last summer, the post “Why Disordered Eating Needs Psychedelic Treatment” remains one of the most heartbreaking realities about women’s health research: A historic lack of funding means there is not the foundational research needed to build upon with novel psychedelic therapies. Making R&D more resource-intensive and, thus, less attractive.
This Thursday’s Psychedelic Salon welcomes Dr. Amanda Downey, a pediatrician, psychiatrist, and the assistant medical director of the UCSF Eating Disorders Program. Dr. Downey will discuss her work and current evidence in this emerging field of research.
The true wonder of psilocybin as a therapeutic intervention for disordered eating cannot be overstated, for all these reasons and more:
Anorexia is still the deadliest psychiatric disorder.
Anorexia remains without a single approved pharmacological treatment.
Relapse and new adoption of restrictive eating and/or purging are higher in midlife women than once thought.
Two-thirds of adolescent-onset eating disorders will go on to struggle with their relationship to food and their bodies for the rest of their lives—and half of these cases qualify as severe, requiring medical and behavioral health care.
In one study, after a single dose, 4 of the 10 trial participants showed reduced symptoms of eating disorders, with some flexibility in food-related concerns and body image.
Do you know what has paused progress for those - mostly women - suffering from the deadliest psychiatric disorder, and an FDA-approved psilocybin-ish drug is? Approximately $5M — and I’m being generous. Do you know how much Seattle ponied up for the Sonics franchise within a week? $7-10B.
If you’re reading this, consider attending or streaming Thursday’s Psychedelic Salon with Dr. Amanda Downey to learn more about this emerging area of research. Keep scrolling or click below to learn more about Dr. Downey and Psychedelic Salon.
Click below to read my original post and learn more about the promising potential of psychedelics as a treatment for eating disorders.
Take care,
April
Psychedelic Salon
Thursday, April 2 | 7:30pmPT | Town Hall Seattle
Featured Speaker: Dr. Amanda Downey
Dr. Amanda Downey is a pediatrician and psychiatrist who cares for adolescents and young adults with eating disorders. She works with patients and their families to develop a treatment plan that honors their unique strengths and challenges. Through education, advocacy, and research, she strives to dismantle the systems that increase risk for eating disorders and improve evidence-based eating disorder treatments. She is the assistant medical director of the UCSF Eating Disorders Program and a member of the UCSF Translational Psychedelic Research Program (TrPR).
If this landed, let me know how in the comments below. I read ‘em all, and I write for you!
And if you liked it, tap the ❤️ - Substack likes when you love.
The ❤️ helps the right people find their way here, and paid subscriptions make the work possible. Thank you for both.
AP
APRIL PRIDE is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Comments
Nothing yet. Say the first thing.
Sign in to join the conversation.