MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for post-traumatic stress disorder: The devil is in the detail.
The Australian and New Zealand journal of psychiatry April 1, 2023 Gillinder Bedi, Susan M Cotton, Alexandre A Guerin et al. 17 citations
Media, public, and scientific interest in psychedelic medicine has grown rapidly, and Australia and New Zealand are now catching up. This paper critically reviews existing evidence, focusing on MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for post-traumatic stress disorder, the most advanced area of clinical psychedelic research. The authors detail Phase 2 and 3 studies and identify methodological and design limitations, as well as broader issues such as advocacy-group involvement in research and reliance on non-government financing that lead to simplistic public messaging. They call for large, high-quality, independent efficacy trials with design enhancements, effectiveness trials, and careful researcher engagement with media and public messaging to ensure rigorous, dispassionate science and safeguard participant welfare.