I didn't like what you said, Odin pauses, about the future.
This is the love story of real hinge couple Odin and Edward.
Written and read by me, Curtis Garner.
Listen to the free audiobook now.
For Scientific American Science Quickly, I'm Rachel Heltman.
I have a quick content note before we begin.
This episode features discussion of eating disorders.
We'll include some relevant resources at the end of the episode.
According to a 2020 report, as much as 9% of the US population,
which is nearly 31 million people, will have some kind of eating disorder during their lifetime.
That same study found that someone dies as a direct consequence of an eating disorder every 52 minutes.
Anorexia nervosa, an eating disorder defined by strict restriction of one's food intake, is particularly fatal.
Approximately 5% of patients die within four years of diagnosis.
In addition to a suicide rate 18 times higher than that of the general population,
people with anorexia nervosa are at high risk of organ damage and other consequences of malnutrition,
which can increase their risk of death even years after entering remission.
At least part of what makes eating disorders so deadly is that, frankly, we're not great at treating them.
While psychiatric interventions like cognitive behavioral therapy and antidepressants make a huge difference for some,
research suggests that around half of patients won't achieve sustained recovery.
That lets scientists to explore an unconventional treatment option, psychedelic mushrooms.