Editing MDMA (section)

===Medical===
{{See also|MDMA#Research directions|MDMA-assisted psychotherapy}}

As of 2023, MDMA therapies have only been approved for research purposes, with no widely accepted [[medical indication]]s,<ref name=EU2015 /><ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Sessa B, Nutt D | title = Making a medicine out of MDMA | journal = The British Journal of Psychiatry | volume = 206 | issue = 1 | pages = 4–6 | date = January 2015 | pmid = 25561485 | doi = 10.1192/bjp.bp.114.152751 | doi-access = free }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Ebrahimian Z, Karimi Z, Khoshnoud MJ, Namavar MR, Daraei B, Haidari MR | title = Behavioral and Stereological Analysis of the Effects of Intermittent Feeding Diet on the Orally Administrated MDMA ("ecstasy") in Mice | journal = Innovations in Clinical Neuroscience | volume = 14 | issue = 1–2 | pages = 40–52 | date = 1 February 2017 | pmid = 28386520 | pmc = 5373794 | quote = MDMA is listed as a Schedule 1 drug by the United States Drug Enforcement Agency, meaning that currently there are no accepted medical uses for MDMA in the United States, there is a lack of accepted safety for use under medical supervision, and there is a high potential for abuse. }}</ref> although this varies by jurisdiction. Before it was widely banned, it saw limited use in psychotherapy.<ref name=Betzler2017/><ref name=EU2015/><ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Climko RP, Roehrich H, Sweeney DR, Al-Razi J | title = Ecstacy: a review of MDMA and MDA | journal = International Journal of Psychiatry in Medicine | volume = 16 | issue = 4 | pages = 359–72 | year = 1986 | pmid = 2881902 | doi = 10.2190/dcrp-u22m-aumd-d84h | s2cid = 31902958 }}</ref> In 2017 the [[United States Food and Drug Administration]] (FDA) granted breakthrough therapy designation for MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for [[post-traumatic stress disorder]] (PTSD),<ref>{{Cite news|vauthors=Wan W|date=6 August 2017|title=Ecstasy could be 'breakthrough' therapy for soldiers, others suffering from PTSD|language=en-US|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/ecstasy-could-be-breakthrough-therapy-for-soldiers-others-suffering-from-ptsd/2017/08/26/009314ca-842f-11e7-b359-15a3617c767b_story.html|access-date=3 April 2021|archive-date=28 August 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170828230759/https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/ecstasy-could-be-breakthrough-therapy-for-soldiers-others-suffering-from-ptsd/2017/08/26/009314ca-842f-11e7-b359-15a3617c767b_story.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|vauthors=Kupferschmidt K|date=26 August 2017|title=All clear for the decisive trial of ecstasy in PTSD patients|url=https://www.science.org/content/article/all-clear-decisive-trial-ecstasy-ptsd-patients|access-date=3 April 2021|website=Science (magazine)|language=en|archive-date=28 December 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211228220713/https://www.science.org/content/article/all-clear-decisive-trial-ecstasy-ptsd-patients|url-status=live}}</ref> with some preliminary evidence that MDMA may facilitate psychotherapy efficacy for PTSD.<ref name="Zarembo">{{cite news |vauthors=Zarembo A |date=15 March 2014 |title=Exploring therapeutic effects of MDMA on post-traumatic stress |work=Los Angeles Times |url=https://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-mdma-20140316-story.html |access-date=2023-04-07 |archive-date=7 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230407052723/https://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-mdma-20140316-story.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal | vauthors = Singleton SP, Wang J, Mithoefer M, Hanlon CA, George MS, Mithoefer A, Mithoefer O, Coker AR, Klosinski B, Emerson AL, Doblin R |date=2023 |title=Altered brain activity and functional connectivity after MDMA-assisted therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder |journal=Frontiers in Psychiatry |volume=13 | page = 947622 |doi=10.3389/fpsyt.2022.947622 | pmid = 36713926 | pmc = 9879604 |issn=1664-0640| doi-access = free }}</ref> Pilot studies indicate that [[MDMA-assisted psychotherapy]] may be beneficial in treating [[social anxiety]] in [[Autism|autistic adults]].<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" /> In these pilot studies, the vast majority of participants reported increased feelings of empathy that persisted after the therapy sessions.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Psychedelic Support: First Clinical Trial: Social Anxiety in Autistic Adults Successfully Treated with MDMA Therapy – Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies – MAPS |url=https://maps.org/news/media/psychedelic-support-first-clinical-trial-social-anxiety-in-autistic-adults-successfully-treated-with-mdma-therapy/ |access-date=2024-09-17 |website=maps.org}}</ref> Some have proposed that psychedelics in general may act as [[active placebo|active]] "super [[placebo]]s" used for therapeutic purposes.<ref name="DupuisVeissière2022">{{cite journal | vauthors = Dupuis D, Veissière S | title = Culture, context, and ethics in the therapeutic use of hallucinogens: Psychedelics as active super-placebos? | journal = Transcult Psychiatry | volume = 59 | issue = 5 | pages = 571–578 | date = October 2022 | pmid = 36263513 | doi = 10.1177/13634615221131465 | url = }}</ref><ref name="vanElkYaden2022">{{cite journal | vauthors = van Elk M, Yaden DB | title = Pharmacological, neural, and psychological mechanisms underlying psychedelics: A critical review | journal = Neurosci Biobehav Rev | volume = 140 | issue = | pages = 104793 | date = September 2022 | pmid = 35878791 | doi = 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104793 | url = | quote = In addition, the strong prior expectations that many people have about psychedelics directly contribute to the psychedelic experience and as a consequence it has been suggested that psychedelics may act as a ‘super-placebo’ (Hartogsohn, 2016). Specifically, strong prior expectations (e.g., that a specific intervention will likely trigger a mystical experience) will increase the likelihood of having e.g., a mystical-type experience (Maij et al., 2019), and this placebo-effect is further boosted by the psychedelic-induced suggestibility. | hdl = 1887/3515020 | hdl-access = free }}</ref>