INTRODUCTION: The treatment of comorbid post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and alcohol use disorder (AUD) is significantly more challenging than the treatment of either disorder alone. While gold standard evidence-based treatments exist for this comorbidity, clinically significant improvements are only observed in approximately half of clinical trial participants. The use of adjunctive...
PsychoactivesJune 8, 2026Fizza Mitter, Anton Sheptooha, Janni Leung et al.
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) remains inadequately treated by existing pharmacological and psychological interventions, prompting growing interest in psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy. Although randomised controlled trials have evaluated several psychedelic agents for PTSD, to our knowledge, no prior PTSD-specific synthesis has quantitatively examined multiple agent classes within a...
In this commentary on Morland et al. (2026)'s recent State of the Science article on 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA)-assisted psychotherapy for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), we aim to emphasize both MDMA's therapeutic promise and its unresolved scientific challenges. Although recent trials on MDMA-assisted interventions have reported encouraging reductions in PTSD symptoms, the...
Recent clinical evidence suggests that racemic 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) might be useful for treating a range of neuropsychiatric diseases including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression. However, concerns about its abuse potential stemming from its monoamine releasing properties have hampered its clinical development. Thus, safer analogues of racemic MDMA with...
3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) has emerged as a potential treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), generating considerable enthusiasm in the field. However, rapidly changing evidence in a fast-moving field can be challenging to integrate. Here, we present a living systematic review and open-data meta-analytic resource on MDMA treatment for PTSD. In this initial release,...
Background: Complex post-traumatic stress disorder (C-PTSD) is a trauma-related condition characterized by pervasive disturbances in affect regulation, self-concept, and interpersonal functioning that extend beyond the symptom profile of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). While neurobiological studies have implicated limbic, salience, and prefrontal systems in C-PTSD, mechanistic accounts...
There is growing interest in novel approaches to treating posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), including the use of psychedelic substances combined with psychotherapy, often referred to as psychedelic-assisted therapy, to better meet the needs of patients who do not prefer or respond to traditional evidence-based treatments. Among these treatments, 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine...
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a chronic and disabling condition and identifying beneficial therapies is timely and important. We aimed to estimate the efficacy of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine-assisted therapy (MDMA-AT) compared with control on clinical and functional outcomes in PTSD. A PRISMA-compliant search (PROSPEROCRD42022353261) up to August 14, 2025, covered nine databases...
MDMA and ketamine IV currently have the greatest support in the literature for efficacy in PTSD. Studies suggest treatment with these agents under supervision may lead to improvements in PTSD symptoms, with the medications being generally well tolerated. However, caution should be used when interpreting study results due to limitations such as treatment expectancy effect and the potential for...