Reduction in social anxiety after MDMA-assisted psychotherapy with autistic adults: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot study.
Psychopharmacology November 1, 2018 Alicia L Danforth, Charles S Grob, Christopher Struble et al. 284 citations
Autistic adults with severe social anxiety who received MDMA-assisted psychotherapy showed significantly greater improvement in social anxiety symptoms compared to those given an inactive placebo. The improvement was rapid and durable, with effects still present at a six-month follow-up. The study used two eight-hour psychotherapy sessions with either MDMA (75–125 mg) or placebo, plus three non-drug sessions after each. The effect size was very large at the primary endpoint and remained large at follow-up. Social anxiety stayed the same or continued to improve for most in the MDMA group after treatment ended. Initial safety and efficacy support larger studies.