MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for people diagnosed with treatment-resistant PTSD: what it is and what it isn’t
Annals of General Psychiatry May 17, 2020 DOI: 10.1186/s12991-020-00283-6 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Intervention | MDMA-assisted psychotherapy |
| Topics | MDMA PTSD Psychedelic-assisted therapy |
| Keywords | Posttraumatic stress disorder Treatment-Resistant PTSD MDMA-Assisted Psychotherapy |
| Citations | 27 |
| Key findings | Small-scale studies have shown reduced psychological trauma with MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD, but MDMA as a standalone treatment for PTSD has not been researched. |
Abstract
Abstract Background PTSD is a chronic condition with high rates of comorbidity, but current treatment options are limited and not always effective. One novel approach is MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for people diagnosed with treatment-resistant PTSD, where MDMA is used as a catalyst to facilitate trauma processing during psychotherapy. The aim was to review all current research into MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD.
Methods: Articles were identified through PubMed and Science Direct for items published up to 31st March 2019 using terms “treatments for PTSD”, “drug treatments for PTSD”, “MDMA”, “MDMA pathway”, “MDMA-assisted psychotherapy” and “MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD”. Articles were identified through Google Scholar and subject-specific websites. Articles and relevant references cited in those articles were reviewed.
Results: Small-scale studies have shown reduced psychological trauma, however there has been widespread misunderstanding of the aims and implications of this work, most commonly the notion that MDMA is a ‘treatment for PTSD’, which to date has not been researched. This has harmful consequences, namely dangerous media reporting and impeding research progression in an already controversial field.
Conclusions: MDMA-assisted psychotherapy may help people who have experienced psychological trauma and who have not been able to resolve their problems through existing treatments, however more research is needed. If this is to get appropriate research attention, we must report this accurately and objectively.