Friday, 14 May 2021, 10:14 am
U.S. researchers have found that MDMA-assisted therapy
significantly reduced symptoms of severe PTSD in
patients.
Ninety people with severe PTSD were
randomly assigned to have therapy sessions either with MDMA
or placebo. The group that took MDMA under clinical
supervision had a greater reduction in symptoms over the
course of 18 weeks. The researchers also found the
experimental treatment was “safe and
well-tolerated.”
The study is available here.
The
SMC asked experts to comment on the
research.
Professor Paul Glue, University of Otago,
comments:
“Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is
a type of anxiety disorder that’s triggered by a traumatic
Only two patients in the study reported serious suicidal behaviour or ideation - both in the placebo group. Only one reported cardiovascular problems - someone in the placebo group.
Researchers from the University of California and the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) said it appears to work by producing a window of tolerance , in which participants are able to revisit and process traumatic content without becoming overwhelmed or encumbered by hyperarousal and dissociative symptoms .
It does this by temporarily rolling the brain back to a state that typically closes after adolescence , where people have more self-compassion and are no longer suffering PTSD-related shame and anger .
The stress epidemic: Powerful new treatments for anxiety and depression
13 Dec, 2020 10:08 PM
12 minutes to read
Even those who have never experienced a mood disorder before may have found themselves struggling in 2020. Photo / 123RF
Even those who have never experienced a mood disorder before may have found themselves struggling in 2020. Photo / 123RF
By: Nicky Pellegrino
As depression exerts a growing grip, remedies from microdosing psychedelics to getting active are in the spotlight. By Nicky Pellegrino. If ever there was a year to induce anxiety and depression, it has been 2020. Even those who have never experienced a mood disorder before may have found themselves struggling. Has the Covid-19 pandemic sparked a depression epidemic? Science is still playing catch-up, but the early signs are that lockdowns, financial worries and fear of the virus have taken a heavy psychological toll on many of us.