Unsuccessfully treated posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a serious and life-threatening disorder. Two medications, paroxetine hydrochloride and sertraline hydrochloride, are approved treatments for PTSD by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Analyses of pharmacotherapies for PTSD found only small to moderate effects when compared with placebo. The Multidisciplinary Association for...
Psychedelic substances are under investigation in several drug development programs. Controlled clinical trials are providing evidence for safe and effective use of psychedelic therapies for treating mental health conditions. With the anticipated FDA approval of MDMA-assisted therapy for posttraumatic stress disorder in 2023 and psilocybin therapy for depression disorders soon after, now is the...
More than 50 million people in the United States serve as uncompensated informal caregivers to chronically ill friends or family members. Providing care to a sick loved one can contribute to personal growth but can also cause significant strain. Caregiver distress refers to a constellation of physiological, psychological, interpersonal, and spiritual impairments that typically result when an...
Recent years have seen escalating media, public and scientific interest in psychedelic medicine. Australia and New Zealand have been late to this research; however, in the past 2 years, rapid developments suggest that this is changing. Here, we argue for the need to critically review existing evidence in this field to guide future directions. We focus on...
Roughly over 700 million individuals suffer from a mental illness globally. In the United States alone, over 45 million individuals are afflicted with a mental disorder at any given point in their lives. It is because of this that new methods of current therapies should be considered. To date, major depression disorder (MAD), anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are treated with...
In recent years there has been a resurgence of interest in the therapeutic potential of psychedelic substances such as 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA). This renaissance of psychedelic studies opens the door for a new paradigm in psychiatric medicine: drug-facilitated psychotherapy. In this study we report the findings of a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multi-site Phase...
Background PTSD in adolescence causes much suffering and has substantial health-care costs. Many patients with severe PTSD do not respond to psychotherapy or continue to have symptoms despite trauma-focused psychotherapies and psychopharmacological treatment. A recent alternative in the search for cost-effective treatments for PTSD in adults is 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine-assisted...
AMA Nowak M, Górczyńska J, Gebuza M. MDMA-assisted psychotherapy in the treatment of PTSD in adults – literature review. Pharmacotherapy in Psychiatry and Neurology/Farmakoterapia w Psychiatrii i Neurologii. 2023;39(2):131-142. doi:10.5114/fpn.2023.133519. APA Nowak, M., Górczyńska, J., & Gebuza, M. (2023). MDMA-assisted psychotherapy in the treatment of PTSD in adults – literature review....
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a prevalent psychiatric condition that significantly impacts daily functioning in patients but lacks adequate treatment options. 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) as an adjunct to psychotherapy for the treatment of PTSD has been studied increasingly for the last two decades and has shown promising results through quantitative data. However, few...
A randomized trial of MDMA as an adjunct to psychotherapy for PTSD found it superior to placebo plus the same manualized therapy (effect size 0.9). However, the blinding in that study almost completely failed. Vocal public advocacy for psychedelics as adjuncts to psychotherapy is creating an environment of high positivity bias that is affecting research quality and results. Thus, a recent...