Agony and ecstasy doctors trial#
Mithoefer’s preliminary results and Phase 2 clinical trial outcomes entirely support this assertion. Mithoefer argues therapists are able to more readily help people address their traumas and completely alleviate symptoms of PTSD in as few as three visits, instead of years of regular therapy.Īlthough such claims may at first appear bold, Dr. Therapists use the “empathogenic” effects of MDMA to reduce fears and increase self-acceptance in their patients, simultaneously strengthening the all-important “therapeutic alliance” between doctor and patient. The logic is straightforward and addresses many of the current conundrums facing psychotherapists in treating people with PTSD. Michael Mithoefer, and funded by the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS). MDMA-assisted psychotherapy is an approach to PTSD treatment first developed by psychologist Dr. Against this backdrop, the FDA has become far more willing to look for treatments outside of the usual medical approaches. Despite this expense, PTSD-associated suicide remains the 10 th leading cause of death in the United States. Caring for veterans with PTSD costs the Veterans Health Administration over $17 billion each year. However, these treatments require long periods of time and, for many, are never effective. Currently accepted treatment primarily includes medications, such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) to combat feelings of anxiety, combined with concurrent therapy to help reframe the traumatic event with the help of a psychologist. For sufferers of PTSD, the symptoms can make them feel as if they cannot progress past their trauma they experience flashbacks and recurrent nightmares, and constant anxiety and tension often interfere with their normal lives. PTSD affects nearly 9 percent of all Americans, and the number continues to rise dramatically among veterans and victims of violence.
Why encourage research into an illegal party drug when the psychotherapeutic pharmacopeia is already so extensive? The answer lies not with MDMA but with PTSD, the disease this potential new therapy seeks to treat.
This determination by the FDA may seem surprising. After more than 10 years of secretive work with exciting results, the United States Food and Drug Association (FDA) recently issued a public validation of these investigators’ work, in which the agency designated MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD as a “breakthrough therapy,” warranting special consideration as they move through Phase 3 clinical trials. However, a small group of psychopharmacological researchers and advocates have been touting this compound as the next major frontline treatment for a variety of troubling psychological conditions, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and social anxiety.
For the majority of the population, MDMA, or ecstasy, is simply an illegal drug, its use exclusive to underground dance clubs and its abuse the purview of the police.
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