Often considered dangerous, mind-altering drugs, researchers are turning to the study of psychedelic therapies as a potential to treat an array of psychiatric conditions including depression and PTSD.
Prescribing psychedelic therapies including MDMA and psilocybin in combination with counseling and psychotherapy improve symptoms for those with PTSD.
Researchers discuss how psychedelics can affect the brain and provide therapeutic benefits for those suffering from a range of psychiatric disorders.
In comparison to a placebo group, test subjects exposed to marijuana were more likely to form false memories based on incorrect information.
Backing up previous research, a new study reveals psychedelics can have beneficial effects for treating PTSD when combined with traditional trauma-focused psychotherapy. Findings suggest MDMA assisted therapy is significantly more effective at treating patients with persistent PTSD than psychotherapy alone.
Researchers have distinguished two different molecular pathways responsible for addiction and the prosocial feelings generated by MDMA. The findings could lead to novel treatments for psychiatric disorders marked by withdrawal and social awkwardness.
Numerous studies have linked controlled psychedelics to improvements in mental health conditions such as depression and PTSD. In March, the FDA approved Esketamine as a treatment for depression. However, with much stigma surrounding psychedelics, researchers question how many patients would take psychedelic medications if prescribed to them. According to a new study, 40% of people with no experience of psychedelics would be unlikely to take the prescription due to fears of 'brain damage' or a 'bad trip'.
Half of all people who practice sexual swinging use recreational drugs to enhance their experience. Researchers report women are more likely to use drugs than either straight or bisexual men, increasing the risk of them participating in unprotected sex and contracting a sexually transmitted infection.
MDMA shows promise for the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder. Combining the use of Ecstasy with psychotherapy treatments resulted in a reduction of PTSD symptoms after just one session. 54% of the study participants no longer met the PTSD criteria after two sessions. Patients also reported improvements in depression symptoms.
MDMA, a psychedelic drug, has successfully been used to reopen the 'critical period' of learning the reward values of social behaviors. Researchers report, in mature mice given MDMA, oxytocin triggers signaling in synapses that help encode social learning and memory, a process that does not usually occur in older animals. The findings could help in the development of treatments for PTSD and other disorders.
Researchers report MDMA, the main compound in ecstasy, helps people to cooperate better, but only when the other person is trustworthy.
Testing the behavioral reaction to MDMA in octopuses, researchers report they have discovered evidence of an evolutionary link between the sea creatures and humans.
