The Australian and New Zealand journal of psychiatry
April 1, 2025
Alene Sze Jing Yong, Suzie Bratuskins, Musa Samir Sultani et al.
16 citations
An umbrella review of 14 systematic reviews (20 primary studies, up to 353 participants) evaluating MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for post-traumatic stress disorder found that meta-analyses reported substantial benefits in symptom improvement, response, and remission compared to psychotherapy alone. However, when reviews assessed certainty of evidence, it was rated low to very low due to high risk of bias, indirectness, and imprecision. Moderate-quality evidence linked MDMA-assisted therapy to increased odds of transient adverse events, but reviews noted reliance on spontaneous rather than systematic reporting, discrepancies between published and registry data, and a lack of long-term safety information. The four high-quality reviews indicate low to very low certainty for efficacy and moderate to very low for safety.
Journal of affective disorders
July 17, 2025
Alene Sze Jing Yong, Sue E Brennan, Suzie Bratuskins et al.
3 citations
Australia's Therapeutic Goods Administration rescheduled MDMA in July 2023, permitting authorized prescribing for PTSD outside clinical trials. This manuscript describes development of an Australian Clinical Practice Guideline on MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD using the GRADE process. The guideline will compare benefits and harms of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy against other treatments, drawing on high-quality systematic reviews. A multidisciplinary Guideline Development Group will consider evidence certainty, patient values, resources, equity, acceptability, and feasibility. The guideline will be published on MAGICapp and disseminated through peer-reviewed publications and conferences. A Companion Guide will be created for people with PTSD and their carers.
Journal of affective disorders
February 2, 2026
Alene Sze Jing Yong, Aimée Freeburn, Suzie Bratuskins et al.
Australia became the first country to allow authorized prescribing of MDMA for PTSD outside clinical trials. Interviews with 21 clinicians, researchers, and patients who had direct experience with MDMA-assisted psychotherapy or PTSD revealed eleven themes, including the importance of expectation management, comprehensive baseline screening, shared decision-making, flexible treatment protocols, ongoing consent, strong therapeutic alliance, and post-treatment continuity of care. The findings emphasize the need for safeguards, provider training, and integration of care as MDMA-assisted psychotherapy enters clinical practice.