FDA Approval to Treat Post Traumatic Stress Disorder with MDMA Is Imminent

FDA approval to treat Post Traumatic Stress Disorder with MDMA is imminent, explained Betty Aldworth, Director of Communications and Events for the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS). “We are on the precipice of filing that application to the FDA for approval of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD,” Aldworth said. Indeed, several years ago the Food and Drug Administration designated MDMA-assisted therapy for PTSD a “Breakthrough Therapy,” which ensures that the FDA will work closely with MAPS to complete the Phase 3 trials currently underway. This would also fulfill MAPS’ aims to develop MDMA into an FDA-approved prescription treatment, a move Aldworth said would bring a great deal of relief to those suffering from PTSD as well as other mental health conditions. “What we are seeing right now is an acknowledgment that psychedelics might fundamentally change the way we think about mental health conditions,” Aldworth explained. “It may offer us a window into treating these conditions by giving people the tools to work with to get to the core of the issues that are causing them, whether it’s PTSD, depression, or anxiety since many of these things are very much connected.” MAPS is also are studying whether MDMA-assisted psychotherapy can help heal the psychological and emotional damage caused by sexual assault, war, violent crime, and other traumas including anxiety related to life-threatening illnesses. “We are looking at psychedelics as a catalyst to provide people with a new way of looking at themselves and the elements of their lives that are causing them stress and anxiety, with the hope that we might be able to fundamentally shift how we’re treating mental health within the western paradigm,” Aldworth said.