Magic mushrooms could be used to treat body image distress but more research is needed, experts say. / (min cost $ 0 ) or signup to continue reading A recent Monash University study found that psilocybin, or magic mushrooms, improved and triggered cognitive flexibility in female rats. Now, researchers at Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne and the University of Sydney's InsideOut Institute have set up human trials.
Swinburne University's Professor Susan Rossell has worked with body image issues for nearly 20 years, and she wanted to understand who might benefit from psilocybin. Psilocybin is the core ingredient in magic mushrooms. It is a which can cause hallucinations and altered thinking, sense of time and emotions.
"There is quite a lot of work in depression and anxiety but nothing in the eating disorder space," she said. Last year, the Therapeutic Goods Administration approved psilocybin for Professor Rossell said while existing treatments worked for some people, others were faced with very few options. "We are in desperate need.
We know that body image issues are on the rise and a lot of people fall through the treatment gaps," she said. She said people with body image issues, including anorexia and body dysmorphia, had some of the of any mental health disorder. is an eating disorder and serious mental illness where people fear weight gain.
With body dysmorphic disorder, people had an intense dislike of any part of their body, from their nose to their toes, Pro.
