Psychiatric disorders in Ecstasy (MDMA) users: a literature review focusing on personal predisposition and drug history
Kirstie Soar, John Turner, A. C. Parrott
Human Psychopharmacology: Clinical and Experimental December 1, 2001 DOI: 10.1002/hup.350 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | MDMA |
| Keywords | Family history Hallucinogen Psychiatric history Clinical psychology |
| Citations | 80 |
| Key findings | MDMA is causally implicated in the onset of psychiatric disorders and symptoms, as most affected patients lacked prior personal or family psychiatric history. |
Abstract
Abstract 3,4‐methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA or Ecstasy) has been implicated in the onset of a number of psychological disorders and associated with a number of psychiatric symptoms that have persisted after cessation of the drug. This paper is a review of the published psychiatric case studies from the last 10 years involving MDMA. Only 24% of patients had a previous psychiatric history and 34% had a psychiatric illness amongst first degree relatives. The percentage of patients not having had a personal or family history of psychiatric illness and the temporal relationship between MDMA ingestion and the experience of recurring symptoms strongly suggest a causal relationship between the drug and neuropsychiatric manifestations. Further supporting evidence comes from several studies using non‐clinical samples. Ecstasy users that don't present themselves in healthcare settings as having clinical symptoms have significantly higher scores on certain subscales of the SCL‐90 compared with Ecstasy‐naive controls, with higher pathology scores in heavier Ecstasy users. The full‐blown psychiatric cases may represent the broad end of this problematic spectrum. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
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 31
- Human psychopharmacology of Ecstasy (MDMA): a review of 15 years of empirical research Human Psychopharmacology: Clinical and Experimental December 1, 2001
- Chronic tolerance to recreational MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine) or Ecstasy Journal of Psychopharmacology 2005
- Human psychobiology of MDMA or ‘Ecstasy’: an overview of 25 years of empirical research Human Psychopharmacology: Clinical and Experimental July 1, 2013
- MDMA in humans: factors which affect the neuropsychobiological profiles of recreational ecstasy users, the integrative role of bioenergetic stress Journal of Psychopharmacology March 1, 2006
- Substance-Induced Psychoses: An Updated Literature Review Frontiers in Psychiatry December 23, 2021
and 26 more in the library
Cites 9
- Diversity of Psychopathology Associated with use of 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (‘Ecstasy’) The British Journal of Psychiatry September 1, 1994
- Is MDMA (‘Ecstasy’) Neurotoxic in Humans? An Overview of Evidence and of Methodological Problems in Research Neuropsychobiology 2000
- Chronic paranoid psychosis after misuse of MDMA ("ecstasy") BMJ March 23, 1991
- Psychiatric complications of 'Ecstasy' use Journal of Psychopharmacology 1994
- Psychiatric sequelae of MDMA (ecstasy) and related drugs Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine September 1, 1994
and 4 more in the library