TITLE  (repeat posting:  Best of 2018)

Ecstasy as a Remedy for PTSD? You Probably Have Some Questions.

DESCRIPTION

Returning veterans who experience PTSD symptoms most often cannot recover even with the use of medications and therapy, and they subsequently lead miserable lives, have broken relationships, and in many instances commit suicide.  This has been the impetus to experiment with new types of therapies and drugs.  The use of the recreational drug MDMA better known as ecstasy and molly have been used in trials of research with veterans experiences non remitting PTSD.   The trials include several sessions of therapy followed by the use of MDMA followed immediately by a special therapy protocol.  “Nearly all patients saw clinically significant reductions in symptoms, and a majority saw such drastic reductions that they no longer met the criteria for a PTSD diagnosis. In the 12 months after MDMA therapy, PTSD symptoms generally continued to decrease.”  The experimental research is entering a final phase of study before being able to obtain FDA approval as a “standard” therapy for veterans with PTSD.   (This article can be used in the chapters dealing with brain and neurotransmitters, drugs and consciousness, as well as abnormal behavior.)

SOURCE

New York Times, May 1, 2018, by Dave Philipps

LINK TO RESOURCE

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/01/us/ecstasy-molly-ptsd-mdma.html

(Tiny URL)  http://tinyurl.com/ybjvehat

CLASS DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

•What is PTSD?

•What are the causes and symptoms?

•Why do individuals experiencing PTSD drop out of conventional therapy?

•What is MDMA (ecstasy/molly) and effects?  Why is it used recreationally?

•What is believed to be the mechanism of MDMA in reducing symptoms of PTSD?  Is it effective?