Among 89 individuals with severe PTSD enrolled in a placebo-controlled trial of MDMA-assisted therapy, 15% had eating disorder symptoms in the clinical range and 31.5% in the high-risk range at baseline, despite no active purging or low weight. After treatment, participants who received MDMA-assisted therapy showed significantly greater reductions in eating disorder symptoms compared to those who received placebo, especially among women with elevated baseline scores. The findings suggest that eating disorder psychopathology is common in severe PTSD and that MDMA-assisted therapy may reduce these co-occurring symptoms.
A Phase 3 clinical trial tested MDMA-assisted therapy (MDMA-AT) against placebo with therapy for severe PTSD. 85% of participants reported early childhood trauma, linked to deficits in emotional coping. MDMA-AT significantly improved alexithymia, self-compassion, and altered self-capacities compared to therapy alone. These changes address transdiagnostic mental processes that often hinder treatment response.