MDMA-Assisted Psychotherapy for Borderline Personality Disorder.
Jenna M Traynor, Daniel E. Roberts, Stephen Ross, Richard J. Zeifman, Lois Choi-Kain
FOCUS: The Journal of Lifelong Learning in Psychiatry October 1, 2022 DOI: 10.1176/appi.focus.20220056 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Intervention | MDMA-assisted psychotherapy |
| Topics | Psychedelic-assisted therapy MDMA |
| Keywords | Borderline personality disorder Drug treatment/psychopharmacology MDMA-Assisted Psychotherapy Clinical trials MDMA Therapy Psychological intervention Personality disorders bpd |
| Citations | 14 |
| Key findings | MDMA-assisted psychotherapy may be a plausible new treatment for borderline personality disorder, warranting clinical trials to assess its safety, feasibility, and preliminary effects. |
Abstract
Borderline personality disorder is a complex psychiatric disorder with limited treatment options that are associated with large heterogeneity in treatment response and high rates of dropout. New or complementary treatments for borderline personality disorder are needed that may be able to bolster treatment outcomes. In this review, the authors comment on the plausibility for research on 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) used in conjunction with psychotherapy for borderline personality disorder (i.e., MDMA-assisted psychotherapy [MDMA-AP]). On the basis of the promise of MDMA-AP in treating disorders overlapping with borderline personality disorder (e.g., posttraumatic stress disorder), the authors speculate on initial treatment targets and hypothesized mechanisms of change that are grounded in prior literature and theory. Initial considerations for designing MDMA-AP clinical trials to investigate the safety, feasibility, and preliminary effects of MDMA-AP for borderline personality disorder are also presented.
Comparable studies
Other narrative reviews on MDMA and psychedelic-assisted therapy, most cited first.
Citations in the library
Cited by 10
- Preliminary evidence for the importance of therapeutic alliance in MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for posttraumatic stress disorder. European Journal of Psychotraumatology 2024
- Co-use of MDMA with psilocybin/LSD may buffer against challenging experiences and enhance positive experiences Scientific Reports August 22, 2023
- The efficacy and safety of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis from randomized controlled trials. Psychiatry Research September 1, 2024
- Balancing Therapeutic Efficacy and Safety of MDMA and Novel MDXX Analogues as Novel Treatments for Autism Spectrum Disorder. Psychedelic Medicine September 1, 2023
- Psychoanalytically informed MDMA-assisted therapy for pathological narcissism: a novel theoretical approach. Frontiers in Psychiatry 2025
and 5 more in the library
Cites 31
- MDMA-assisted therapy for severe PTSD: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase 3 study. Nature Medicine June 1, 2021
- The safety and efficacy of {+/-}3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine-assisted psychotherapy in subjects with chronic, treatment-resistant posttraumatic stress disorder: the first randomized controlled pilot study. Journal of Psychopharmacology July 19, 2010
- Differences Between the Mechanism of Action of MDMA, MBDB, and the Classic Hallucinogens. Identification of a New Therapeutic Class: Entactogens Journal of Psychoactive Drugs October 1, 1986
- Durability of improvement in post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms and absence of harmful effects or drug dependency after 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine-assisted psychotherapy: a prospective long-term follow-up study. Journal of Psychopharmacology 2013
- MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for treatment of PTSD: study design and rationale for phase 3 trials based on pooled analysis of six phase 2 randomized controlled trials. Psychopharmacology September 1, 2019
and 26 more in the library