MDMA: A Review of Epidemiological Data
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs June 1, 2002 DOI: 10.1080/02791072.2002.10399950 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | MDMA |
| Keywords | Poison control Injury prevention Demography |
| Citations | 87 |
| Key findings | MDMA use, availability, and related emergency department visits increased substantially from the mid-1990s to 2001, especially among adolescents and young adults. |
Abstract
This article reviews recent surveys and reports that provide insight regarding prevalence, frequency, trends, perceptions, and seizures of methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) or "Ecstasy." An estimated 6.4 million individuals have used MDMA. Among students in the eighth, 10th, and 12th grades, MDMA use has substantially increased from mid-1990 levels to 2001, with sharp increases noted in 2000 and a more gradual increase in 2001. Exposure to MDMA among high school seniors has increased progressively and nearly quadrupled over the past decade, and a substantial proportion of young adults report having friends who use MDMA. Perceived availability has increased dramatically during the 1990s, with sharp increases in 2000 and again in 2001 among high school seniors. MDMA is now one of the most available drugs for youth. Among college students and young adults, MDMA use has increased progressively and substantially throughout the 1990s, and sharply increased in 2000. MDMA-related emergency department visits increased progressively and dramatically during the 1990s, often or nearly doubling from year to year. Most visits were attributed to patients ages 25 years or younger. The motive for their MDMA use tended to be recreation, and their reasons for the emergency department visit tended to be overdose and unexpected reactions. MDMA-related deaths are rare, but the rate is increasing, as are the number of MDMA-related calls at selected poison control centers. The quantity of MDMA seized by U.S. law enforcement has increased dramatically recently, as have the number of MDMA-related arrests. MDMA use is worldwide, and in certain European countries it is the second most frequently used drug following marijuana.
Comparable studies
Other narrative reviews on MDMA, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Human Pharmacology of MDMA | 2004 | Review | |
| Human psychopharmacology of Ecstasy (MDMA): a review of 15 years of empirical research | 2001 | Review | |
| 3,4‐Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, “Ecstasy”): pharmacology and toxicology in animals and humans | 1994 | Review | |
| (±)3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (‘Ecstasy’)-Induced Serotonin Neurotoxicity: Studies in Animals | 2000 | Review | |
| Amphetamine toxicities | 2010 | Review |
Citations in the library
Cited by 23
- 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) neurotoxicity in rats: a reappraisal of past and present findings Psychopharmacology March 15, 2006
- Memory deficits in abstinent MDMA (ecstasy) users: neuropsychological evidence of frontal dysfunction Journal of Psychopharmacology March 30, 2006
- Ecstasy (MDMA, MDA, MDEA, MBDB) consumption, seizures, related offences, prices, dosage levels and deaths in the UK (1994–2003) Journal of Psychopharmacology March 30, 2006
- Mechanisms of MDMA (Ecstasy)-Induced Oxidative Stress, Mitochondrial Dysfunction, and Organ Damage Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology June 27, 2010
- Mechanism of 3,4‐methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, ecstasy)‐mediated mitochondrial dysfunction in rat liver PROTEOMICS September 1, 2008
and 18 more in the library