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Research paper on MDMA
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The article MDMA-Assisted Psychotherapy Using Low Doses in a Small Sample of Women with Chronic Posttraumatic Stress Disorder details an experiment that explores the use and safety of the hallucinogenic drug MDMA as a treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder. The study focuses specifically on women who have been diagnosed with PTSD as a result of sexual assault. Although the researchers originally planned to do the experiment with a sample of 29 women, due to political reasons only 6 subjects were treated before the experiment was ultimately shut down and are included in the results. All subjects were given three 90 minute psychotherapy sessions before the actual dug experiment took place in order to prepare them for what they might experience.
Miller and Wilson. (1983) cited in Drummond,A. (1998). Research Methods For Therapists, 1ST edition, Stanley Thornes Ltd, United Kingdom
of 10 to 30 mm Hg for systolic blood pressure and 5 to 10 mm Hg
Happiness can mean many different things to many different people. A hard worker may define it as completing a difficult task. A hopeless romantic may define it as finding true love. A religious person may define it as achieving a specific level of spirituality. Webster’s definition of happiness is “good fortune; a state of well-being and contentment; a pleasurable or satisfying experience.” Some synonyms included for happiness are bliss, felicity, joy, and ecstasy. It is therefore obvious how the euphoria-inducing amphetamine relates to its name. People that are uneducated in the area of drugs may associate ecstasy only with the issue of substance abuse. However, to fully understand ecstasy and all its related topics, it is vital to identify the chemical structure and history of MDMA, the corresponding effects, and then the recreational abuse.
This paper will present the 2 completed pilot studies showing the effectiveness of using 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) along with Psychotherapy as a treatment for Post- Traumatic Stress Disorder(PTSD). It will also give details about the study protocol for the upcoming pilot study being done in Canada and the Phase 2 protocol for the United States. MDMA along with psychotherapy is an effective treatment for PTSD and yields promising results.
According to Milgram, after completing the experiment, all of his subjects were informed of its true purpose, which was to find out how much pain the average person would inflict on another person when placed under authority (Milgram 78). Therefore, as Gary Sturt, author of “Behavioral Study of Obedience” states, all of the subjects were participating in an experiment without their full consent being offered to the experiment holders (Sturt). Additionally, most of the subjects were affected by the stressful nature of the experiment. A debriefing session after their completion of Milgram’s experiment was held for all of the subjects; however, as Susan Krauss Whitbourne Ph.D., author of "The Secrets Behind Psychology 's Most Famous Experiment," states, there is a “lack of proper attention given to the phase of the experiment called ‘debriefing’” (Whitbourne). Saul McLeod, author of “The Milgram Experiment,” further and more effectively explains Milgram’s attempt of ensuring the subjects’ well-being. McLeod claims that in addition to debriefing sessions after the conclusion of the experiment, all subjects were “followed up after a period of time to ensure that they came to no harm” (McLeod). Although mentioned briefly, an effective portrayal of Milgram’s debriefing sessions is not offered through his text. As Baumrind points out in her essay, the
Watson and his team opened the experiment by questioning if a loud noise would cause a fear reaction. A hammer struck against a steel bar was an abrupt sound causing Albert to throw his hands in the air. By the third and last strike, the child was crying; this was the first time an emotive state (in the lab) produced fear, causing Albert to cry. The sound conditioning led to Watson and his team questioning whether they could condition an emotion while presenting a white rat to the child at the same time they strike the steel bar.
Behavioral experiments -These are “therapists created experiences…for patients to directly test their thinking” (Beck, 2011, p. 10). Unlike thought experiments, behavioral experiments actually test out any “what ifs” the client may
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder is defined by our book, Abnormal Psychology, as “an extreme response to a severe stressor, including increased anxiety, avoidance of stimuli associated with the trauma, and symptoms of increased arousal.” In the diagnosis of PTSD, a person must have experienced an serious trauma; including “actual or threatened death, serious injury, or sexual violation.” In the DSM-5, symptoms for PTSD are grouped in four categories. First being intrusively reexperiencing the traumatic event. The person may have recurring memories of the event and may be intensely upset by reminders of the event. Secondly, avoidance of stimuli associated with the event, either internally or externally. Third, signs of mood and cognitive change after the trauma. This includes blaming the self or others for the event and feeling detached from others. The last category is symptoms of increased arousal and reactivity. The person may experience self-destructive behavior and sleep disturbance. The person must have 1 symptom from the first category, 1 from the second, at least 2 from the third, and at least 2 from the fourth. The symptoms began or worsened after the trauma(s) and continued for at least one
The article under review is Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in the DSM-5: Controversy, Change, and Conceptual Considerations by Anushka Pai, Alina M. Suris, and Carol S. North in Behavioral Sciences. Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a mental health problem that some people develop after experiencing or witnessing a life-threatening event, like combat, a natural disaster, a car accident, or sexual assault (U.S. Department VA, 2007). PTSD can happen to anyone and many factors can increase the possibility of developing PTSD that are not under the person’s own control. Symptoms of PTSD usually will start soon after the traumatic event but may not appear for months or years later. There are four types of symptoms of PTSD but may show in different
Addiction is a dependence on a substance where the individual who is affected feels defenseless and unable to stop the obsession to use a substance or prevent a particular behavior. Millions of Americans have addictions to drugs, alcohol, nicotine, and even to behaviors such as obsessive gambling. Pharmacotherapy is a treatment process in which a counselor can use a particular drug to counter act an addictive drug or behavior. Not all counselors agree with this type of treatment. However in order to provide a client with an ethical treatment and unbiased opinions they should be made aware of all scientific evidence of different treatment options. “Thus, attention to addiction pharmacotherapy is an ethical mandate no matter what prejudices a counselor may have” (Capuzzi & Stauffer, 2008, p. 196). Some particular pharmacotherapy’s a counselor may use for the treatment of addiction are Bupropion (Wellbutrin, Zyban), Disulfiram (Antabuse), Naltrexone (ReVia, Depade), Methadone (Dolophine), and Buprenorphine (Temgesic, Suboxone).
Fairbank, John A.; Brown, Timothy A. “Current Behavioral Approaches to the Treatment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder.” The Behavior Therapist 10.3 (1987): 57–64. Print.
If an individual undergoes an event that may unsettle the manner in which they run their lives, this can result in a discomfort. Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) may result due to a condition of continuous mental as well as emotional stress that may result from acute psychological shock. The study of the causes of PTSD has not been able to offer conclusive solutions due to the dynamic parameters involved. The discussion will focus on the causes of PTSD as well as the treatment and how it affects various sections of society.
Women, ages 18 to 58 years old with chronic PTSD that were unresponsive to previous treatment, were recruited and trauma history was obtained by self-report. Once deemed eligible based on alignment with DSM-IV criteria and the Clinical-Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS) , the participants were randomly assigned to either the trauma-informed yoga class or women’s health education classes for one hour each week for ten weeks. The yoga intervention incorporated breathing, postures, and meditation created by certified yoga professionals with master and doctoral degrees in psychology. The women’s health education class focused on support, active participation, increasing knowledge about health, and increasing self-efficacy. The intervention did not discuss personal trauma but advised women about medical services, issues, and self-care activities. Assessments were made before the treatment, mid-treatment (week 5) and post-treatment (week 10) using the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS). The clinicians rating the participants were blind to the treatment condition and assessments were based on in-person reviews and self-report
It was initially intended to be used as a blood clotting agent and its psychoactive properties were disregarded until years later in 1965 when psycho-pharmacologist Alexander Shulgin began synthesizing the substance. He tested MDMA on himself and was interested in the drug because of its effects, particularly on inhibition. Shulgin gives a preview of the substance’s therapeutic value when he reported that he “experienced the feeling one has after the second martini. That one is discoursing brilliantly and with particularly acute analytical powers.” The analytical powers that Shulgin mentioned will be assessed further into this chapter when MDMA’s neural mechanism is explained in greater
According to this article there have been several studies conducted on the relationship between individuals with a severe mental illness (SMI) who are at a greater risk for trauma exposure and those with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). People who are diagnosed with SMI undergo very violent trauma which causes a lifetime of trauma. The current research is showing a PTSD rate of anywhere from 28% to 43%, which is higher than the average 3.5% general population. Men and women who have PTSD symptoms’ and severity are very different. Whereas compared to men, women who have SMI are likely to experience sexual violence both as children and as an adult. The reason for the study was because no studies have been yet conducted on individuals with SMI and PTSD. By examining many