An expert panel recently voted NOT to endorse the use of MDMA for the treatment of PTSD. Much of the news coverage surrounding this decision was centered on MDMA's classification as a Schedule I drug under the Controlled Substances Act. This should not overshadow the motivation for assessing MDMA and other psychoactive compounds for PTSD treatment.
There is an urgent need for better PTSD treatments.
This is highlighted in the following article from the NYTimes: PTSD Treatments are Falling Short for Many Patients
But even in rejecting the use of MDMA-assisted therapy, the experts emphasized the need for new and better treatments for PTSD, which can cause intrusive thoughts, flashbacks and nightmares and increases the risk of suicide or death from other causes.
Roughly six percent of the American population will develop PTSD at some point in their lives. Only a fraction of those patients currently recover,
PTSD and TBI are closely related. The US Department of Veterans Affairs describes the relationship in this post:
...many of the symptoms that follow a TBI overlap with the common reactions after trauma. Because TBI is caused by trauma and there is symptom overlap, it can be hard to tell what the underlying problem is. In addition, many people who get a TBI also develop PTSD.
The article also notes that
...effective treatments for PTSD also work well for those who have suffered mTBI.
PANTHER research has focused on preventing and understanding TBI but we hope that our research will support treatments, interventions and therapies that will alleviate the symptoms of people suffering with PTSD and other TBI symptoms.
