Depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and other mental
issues resulting in anxiety and sadness have caused the medical world to struggle for
years. It is argued whether supplying patients with drugs is healthy or even effective
way of solving these mental stresses. Recently, MDMA, or ecstasy, has been
gaining some attention as it has helped some people through difficult times.
Labelled as a schedule I Controlled Substance, it has been difficult to test
this theory properly. However, some studies were completed, catching my
attention. Therefore, I chose to read more about it in the article, “How could
MDMA (ecstasy) Help Anxiety Disorders? A Neurobiological Rationale.”
The study looked at the pharmacodynamics of MDMA to predict
the ways in which the drug could help somebody undergoing mental stress. The
hypothesis was based on ecstasy acting on serotonin receptors. Serotonin is one
of the neurotransmitters in the body which is commonly associated with
happiness. The researchers were looking to prove that ecstasy acts in more than
one way to relax patients and elevate their moods.
The research found three important roles MDMA plays in the
body to support the theory that ecstasy can be therapeutic. The first was that
ecstasy increases oxytocin, sometimes referred to as the ‘love hormone’, levels.
Oxytocin decreases a person’s nervousness in encounters, making socializing
easier. Also, MDMA increases ventromedial prefrontal activity while decreasing
amygdala activity. They concluded that this regulates emotions in individuals
were are more inconsistent. MDMA increases norepinephrine, another ‘happy’
neurotransmitter, which takes fear out of social interactions.
The study was not an attempt to legalize the use of ecstasy;
it was merely to show the positive effects of a misunderstood and over-abused
drug. It shows that if used in a controlled, safe environment with trained
professionals and necessary medical precautions, MDMA could help many people
with mental disorders. More studies must be done in the future in order to
prove or debunk the theory that MDMA can be used for medical purposes.
http://jop.sagepub.com/content/23/4/389.short
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