Psychiatric disorders in Ecstasy (MDMA) users: a literature review focusing on personal predisposition and drug history
Human Psychopharmacology Clinical and Experimental – December 01, 2001
Source: OpenAlex
Summary
MDMA, commonly known as Ecstasy, shows a troubling link to psychological disorders, with 76% of patients lacking a personal psychiatric history and 34% having no family history of mental illness. This suggests a strong causal relationship between MDMA use and the emergence of neuropsychiatric symptoms. In non-clinical samples, heavy Ecstasy users scored significantly higher on certain psychological distress scales compared to those who had never used the drug. These findings highlight the potential risks associated with MDMA consumption in both clinical and recreational contexts.
Abstract
Abstract 3,4‐methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA or Ecstasy) has been implicated in the onset of a number of psychological disorders and associated with a number of psychiatric symptoms that have persisted after cessation of the drug. This paper is a review of the published psychiatric case studies from the last 10 years involving MDMA. Only 24% of patients had a previous psychiatric history and 34% had a psychiatric illness amongst first degree relatives. The percentage of patients not having had a personal or family history of psychiatric illness and the temporal relationship between MDMA ingestion and the experience of recurring symptoms strongly suggest a causal relationship between the drug and neuropsychiatric manifestations. Further supporting evidence comes from several studies using non‐clinical samples. Ecstasy users that don't present themselves in healthcare settings as having clinical symptoms have significantly higher scores on certain subscales of the SCL‐90 compared with Ecstasy‐naive controls, with higher pathology scores in heavier Ecstasy users. The full‐blown psychiatric cases may represent the broad end of this problematic spectrum. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.