Innovative Approaches to Eating Disorder Treatment: Psychedelics, Virtual Reality, and More

New Treatment Modalities on the Horizon for Eating Disorders

Eating disorders have long been a challenging and deadly psychiatric illness, with remission rates as low as 29%. Despite the high mortality rates, funding for research in this area remains low, with only $0.73 per affected person allocated in 2015. In comparison, autism research received $58.65 per affected person, and schizophrenia received $86.97 per affected person.

Industry insiders are calling for new treatment modalities to improve outcomes for those with severe and enduring eating disorders. One potential avenue for innovation is the use of psychedelics in treatment. Research suggests that psychedelics may help break down negative beliefs about body image, normalize reward processing, reduce rigid thought patterns, and help process trauma in eating disorder patients.

Virtual reality treatment is also showing promise in the field of eating disorder treatment. Exposure therapy, a core part of treatment for disorders like ARFID and anorexia, can be made more accessible and feasible through virtual reality simulations. These simulations can help patients confront their fears around food and body image in a controlled environment.

Screening tools for eating disorders are also being reevaluated to be more inclusive and accurate. Providers are working on developing screeners that capture a wider range of eating disorder symptoms, including those that may be more common in men or children.

Innovations in existing treatment models are also being explored, such as updating family-based therapy approaches and incorporating new psychotherapy techniques like internal family systems and emotion-focused family therapy.

While these new treatment modalities show promise, more research is needed to determine their efficacy and safety in clinical settings. However, industry experts believe that the adoption of alternative treatments like psychedelics and virtual reality in eating disorder treatment may not be far off, especially as the substance abuse industry has already embraced these approaches. The challenge now lies in ensuring that insurance coverage will support these innovative treatments for those in need.