Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
A small clinical trial suggests that psilocybin, the psychedelic compound in magic mushrooms, may help some people with anorexia when combined with intensive therapy. Science Quickly host Rachel Feltman speaks with health journalist Alexandra Pattillo about what early research has found, why scientists think psychedelics could help loosen the rigid thought patterns associated with eating disorders, and why experts say larger studies are needed before the treatment can be considered a proven option
00:00 Intro
00:32 The scale of eating disorders
01:18 Why anorexia is so deadly
02:11 Guest introduction: Alexandra Pattillo
02:13 A brief history of psychedelics research
04:00 How psilocybin became a candidate for anorexia treatment
05:27 The Imperial College London trial data
07:32 What trial participants experienced
15:08 Pushback and skepticism from the field
16:59 Risks and caveats to consider
19:34 The path to wider availability
21:53 Mental health resources & outro
Recommended Reading:
Could psilocybin be the key to treating anorexia?
scientificamerican.com/article/psilocybin-could-kick-start-anorexia-recovery-early-results-suggest
Americans are increasingly open to using psychedelics for medical reasons
scientificamerican.com/article/americans-are-increasingly-open-to-using-psychedelics-for-medical-reasons
Trump’s psychedelics executive order could accelerate new treatments—including for children
scientificamerican.com/article/trumps-psychedelics-executive-order-could-accelerate-new-treatments-even-for-children
E-mail us at sciencequickly@sciam.com if you have any questions, comments or ideas for stories we should cover!
Discover something new every day. Subscribe to Scientific American: scientificamerican.com/getsciam
And sign up for Today in Science, our daily newsletter: scientificamerican.com/account/email-preferences
Science Quickly is produced by Rachel Feltman, Fonda Mwangi and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was edited by Alex Sugiura, with fact-checking by Marielle Issa and Aaron Shattuck. Our theme music was composed by Dominic Smith.
A small clinical trial suggests that psilocybin, the psychedelic compound in magic mushrooms, may help some people with anorexia when combined with intensive therapy. Science Quickly host Rachel Feltman speaks with health journalist Alexandra Pattillo about what early research has found, why scientists think psychedelics could help loosen the rigid thought patterns associated with eating disorders, and why experts say larger studies are needed before the treatment can be considered a proven option
00:00 Intro
00:32 The scale of eating disorders
01:18 Why anorexia is so deadly
02:11 Guest introduction: Alexandra Pattillo
02:13 A brief history of psychedelics research
04:00 How psilocybin became a candidate for anorexia treatment
05:27 The Imperial College London trial data
07:32 What trial participants experienced
15:08 Pushback and skepticism from the field
16:59 Risks and caveats to consider
19:34 The path to wider availability
21:53 Mental health resources & outro
Recommended Reading:
Could psilocybin be the key to treating anorexia?
scientificamerican.com/article/psilocybin-could-kick-start-anorexia-recovery-early-results-suggest
Americans are increasingly open to using psychedelics for medical reasons
scientificamerican.com/article/americans-are-increasingly-open-to-using-psychedelics-for-medical-reasons
Trump’s psychedelics executive order could accelerate new treatments—including for children
scientificamerican.com/article/trumps-psychedelics-executive-order-could-accelerate-new-treatments-even-for-children
E-mail us at sciencequickly@sciam.com if you have any questions, comments or ideas for stories we should cover!
Discover something new every day. Subscribe to Scientific American: scientificamerican.com/getsciam
And sign up for Today in Science, our daily newsletter: scientificamerican.com/account/email-preferences
Science Quickly is produced by Rachel Feltman, Fonda Mwangi and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was edited by Alex Sugiura, with fact-checking by Marielle Issa and Aaron Shattuck. Our theme music was composed by Dominic Smith.
