PMID- 37814082
OWN - NLM
STAT- Publisher
LR  - 20231009
IS  - 1435-165X (Electronic)
IS  - 1018-8827 (Linking)
DP  - 2023 Oct 10
TI  - MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD in adolescents: rationale, potential, risks, 
      and considerations.
LID - 10.1007/s00787-023-02310-9 [doi]
AB  - 3,4-Methylenedioxymetamphetamine(MDMA)-assisted psychotherapy (MDMA-AP) is a 
      proposed treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) that may be approved 
      for adults soon. PTSD is also common among trauma-exposed adolescents, and 
      current treatments leave much room for improvement. We present a rationale for 
      considering MDMA-AP for treating PTSD among adolescents. Evidence suggests that 
      as an adjunct to therapy, MDMA may reduce avoidance and enable trauma processing, 
      strengthen therapeutic alliance, enhance extinction learning and trauma-related 
      reappraisal, and hold potential beyond PTSD symptoms. Drawing on existing 
      trauma-focused treatments, we suggest possible adaptations to MDMA-AP for use 
      with adolescents, focusing on (1) reinforcing motivation, (2) the development of 
      a strong therapeutic alliance, (3) additional emotion and behavior management 
      techniques, (4) more directive exposure-based methods during MDMA sessions, (5) 
      more support for concomitant challenges and integrating treatment benefits, and 
      (6) involving family in treatment. We then discuss potential risks particular to 
      adolescents, including physical and psychological side effects, toxicity, misuse 
      potential, and ethical issues. We argue that MDMA-AP holds potential for 
      adolescents suffering from PTSD. Instead of off-label use or extrapolating from 
      adult studies, clinical trials should be carried out to determine whether MDMA-AP 
      is safe and effective for PTSD among adolescents.
CI  - (c) 2023. The Author(s).
FAU - Kangaslampi, Samuli
AU  - Kangaslampi S
AUID- ORCID: 0000-0002-0480-9806
AD  - Faculty of Social Sciences/Psychology, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland. 
      samuli.kangaslampi@tuni.fi.
AD  - Department of Neuropsychology and Psychopharmacology, Faculty of Psychology and 
      Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands. 
      samuli.kangaslampi@tuni.fi.
FAU - Zijlmans, Josjan
AU  - Zijlmans J
AUID- ORCID: 0000-0003-4057-8440
AD  - Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry & Psychosocial Care, Amsterdam 
      University Medical Center, Location Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The 
      Netherlands.
AD  - Amsterdam Public Health, Amsterdam University Medical Center, Mental Health, 
      Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
LA  - eng
PT  - Journal Article
PT  - Review
DEP - 20231010
PL  - Germany
TA  - Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry
JT  - European child & adolescent psychiatry
JID - 9212296
SB  - IM
OTO - NOTNLM
OT  - Adolescents
OT  - MDMA
OT  - PTSD
OT  - Psychotherapy
EDAT- 2023/10/10 00:42
MHDA- 2023/10/10 00:42
CRDT- 2023/10/09 23:33
PHST- 2023/07/01 00:00 [received]
PHST- 2023/09/25 00:00 [accepted]
PHST- 2023/10/10 00:42 [medline]
PHST- 2023/10/10 00:42 [pubmed]
PHST- 2023/10/09 23:33 [entrez]
AID - 10.1007/s00787-023-02310-9 [pii]
AID - 10.1007/s00787-023-02310-9 [doi]
PST - aheadofprint
SO  - Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2023 Oct 10. doi: 10.1007/s00787-023-02310-9.