How MDMA Is Being Used to Treat PTSD | The Economist

MDMA, the active ingredient in the party drug ecstasy, is being touted as a game-changing treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder. It is being trialled in America-and for one army veteran the drug has been a life-saver. In America around 22 military veterans kill themselves every day. John served in Iraq during the Second Gulf War. His experiences left him with post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD. The mental suffering has been so great but he was suicidal for eight years. An estimated eight million Americans suffer with PTSD and war veterans are only a fraction of this number. It's a public health disaster costing billions of dollars to treat. There are treatments available but the drugs prescribed are only successful in 20% of cases. For those who don't respond to the available treatment there may be an alternative - MDMA - the active ingredient in the party drug ecstasy is being touted as a miracle cure for PTSD. The FDA has labeled MDMA a breakthrough treatment and tests of the drug show that it's highly effective. In a recent study over 60% of patients no longer met the clinical criteria for PTSD after the MDMA treatment. For John, conventional treatments hadn't worked. He saw the trial as his last hope. For John the treatment was a revelation.