Rave party narcotic may help in psychiatric treatment

New Delhi, Mar 9 (PTI) Ecstasy, an infamous drug common
among high-end rave party revellers, could be effective in
patients suffering from post-traumatic stress, according to a
new study.

The pharmaceutical version of the drug also known as
MDMA has been found effective in treating patients who have
experienced traumatic experiences and are undergoing mental
stress after that, a condition known as PSTD.

PTSD patients get disconnected from society and develop
feeling of fear after a traumatic experience.

At present the treatment is Exposure therapy wherein
psychiatrists ask them to repeatedly recall the experience or
expose the patient to situations that are safe but still
trigger their traumatic feelings.

But in 40 percent of cases this treatment is not
effective and they continue to suffer from stress.

Psychiatrists across the world are looking for a drug
therapy which can boost the results of exposure therapy. The
results published in Journal of Psychopharmacology suggest
that Ecstasy could be that drug.

"We have noted that MDMA promotes emotional engagement;
decreases emotional avoidance; and improves tolerance for
recall and processing of painful memories," Teri Krebs, one of
the researcher from Norwegian University of Science and
Technology, Norway said today.

The drug strengthens the bond between the patient and
doctor and helps the patient to deal with their memories more
effectively by encouraging a feeling of safety.

"A goal during exposure therapy for PTSD is to recall
distressing experiences while at the same time remaining
grounded in the present. Emotional avoidance is the most
common obstacle in exposure therapy for PTSD, and high
within-session emotional engagement predicts better outcome,"
Krebs, said.

Scientists say the infamous party drug enhances the
effects of exposure therapy in three ways.

First, it increases the release of the hormone oxytocin,
which helps in emotions such as trust, empathy, and social
closeness thus ameliorating emotional disconnection, common
symptom of PTSD, researchers say.

Second, it acts in two brain regions which control
automatic fear feelings and increase emotional control and,
therefore, permits bearable revisiting of traumatic memories.

Third, the drug increases the release of two other
hormones, noradrenaline and cortisol, which lead to relieving
the feeling of fear in patients.

The drug is already being tested across the world for
the treatment of PTSD and results have been promising so far,
the researchers say. PTI ABS
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