American Journal of Psychiatry
January 11, 2022
Meryem Grabski, Amy Mcandrew, Will Lawn et al.
169 citations
Three weekly infusions of ketamine (0.8 mg/kg) helped people with severe alcohol use disorder stay abstinent more days over six months than placebo infusions did. The ketamine group averaged 10.1% more days abstinent than the placebo group. Combining ketamine with mindfulness-based relapse prevention therapy produced the largest improvement, with 15.9% more abstinent days compared with placebo plus alcohol education. No serious adverse events occurred. Relapse rates did not differ significantly between ketamine and placebo groups. The findings suggest ketamine is safe and may support abstinence, especially when paired with psychological therapy.
Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences
November 15, 2016
Celia J. A. Morgan, Amy Mcandrew, Tobias Stevens et al.
41 citations
No Summary
Journal of Psychopharmacology
February 5, 2019
Molly Carlyle, Tobias Stevens, Leah Fawaz et al.
22 citations
People who use MDMA (ecstasy) recreationally over the long term show normal or even enhanced empathy compared to other drug users. In a study of 67 individuals, those who used MDMA scored higher on self-reported emotional empathy and on a computer task measuring cognitive empathy than poly-drug users who did not use MDMA. However, MDMA users did not differ from other groups in how they subjectively reacted to social exclusion. The amount or frequency of MDMA use was not linked to empathy levels. These findings suggest that moderate, long-term recreational MDMA use does not cause heightened social distress and may be associated with better empathy, supporting the drug's safety profile for potential therapeutic use.
Frontiers in psychology
January 1, 2024
Jamie L Tully, Oliver Bridge, Joseph Rennie et al.
3 citations
During the first year of COVID-19 social restrictions (March 2020–February 2021), use of psychoactive substances for cognitive enhancement rose significantly among UK university students and staff compared to the previous year. Modafinil use increased by 42%, nutraceuticals by 30.2%, and microdose LSD by 22.2%. Polydrug use with modafinil and other prescription stimulants also rose. Personality factors—particularly lower agreeableness, male gender identity, and lower conscientiousness—reliably predicted use, while academic self-efficacy and student/staff status did not. The authors suggest increased pressures from lockdown and reduced access to university resources drove the rise.