Taking magic mushrooms and ecstasy alongside undergoing psychotherapy could be an effective treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), according to a new study.
The blended therapy was devised by a team of researchers from Budapest in the wake of the Covid pandemic and the war in Ukraine, which experts warn could leave millions at risk of developing PTSD.
The research shows that the treatment is particularly hopeful in cases of mass trauma.
PTSD is outlined by the NHS as an anxiety disorder caused by very “stressful, frightening or distressing events”. Symptoms include intrusive flashbacks, nightmares, avoidance, emotional numbing, insomnia. and hyperarousal.
A common treatment for patients is undergoing psychotherapy. Researchers from Semmelweis University have now found that combining therapy with drugs could have a more beneficial effect.
Lead author Dr Xenia Gonda, assistant professor at the university, said: “Psychotherapy is still the first choice for PTSD treatment.
“There is no effective established pharmacological treatment specifically for PTSD, however psychotherapies may have a limited availability, are very lengthy and expensive.
“In addition, there are several different psychotherapeutic methods and only very few evidence-based interventions.”
He added: “We are beginning to see new approaches to PTSD treatment, which combines psychotherapy and medication.
“Both the psychotherapy and the drug treatment have an effect independently, but they often work together synergistically.”
Despite there being several drugs in development, Gonda said that newer psychedelic drugs were the “stand-out candidates” for treating PTSD.
“It’s important to say that it’s not the psychedelic nature of the drugs that seem to have the beneficial effect in PTSD. These drugs seem to work, at least in part, by enhancing the actions of psychotherapy at a neurological level,” he said.
“The review found that MDMA-assisted psychotherapy showed the greatest promise so far, with four trials showing significantly superior outcomes to those experienced by patients receiving only psychotherapy.”
Other trials using psilocybin, the active ingredient in magic mushrooms, also show promise, however they say additional data is needed to validate the benefits.
Dr Santiago Madero from the Hospital Clinic, Barcelona, who did not take part in the study, commented: “This review article has come at a time where President Biden’s administration has said they anticipate regulators approving MDMA within the next two years for designated breakthrough therapies for PTSD, surely to be followed by the European regulatory agencies.
“MDMA may revolutionise the treatment of PTSD providing therapeutic benefits beyond all current and existing pharmacotherapies.”
The study was published in the journal European Neuropsychopharmacology.
