{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,4]],"date-time":"2026-09-04T21:18:50Z","timestamp":1788556730385,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":122,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"4","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2023,11,3]],"date-time":"2023-11-03T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1698969600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Diseases"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a debilitating mental health disorder that causes significant dysfunction in individuals. Currently, there are many approved pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy treatment options for PTSD, but unfortunately, half of the patients do not respond to traditional therapies. In this article, we review clinical trials and research on 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA)-assisted psychotherapy in PTSD patients, its pharmacokinetics, and current treatment guidelines for PTSD. Our findings are based on the results of the efficacy of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy from six phase II randomized controlled trials. MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD has received the \u201cbreakthrough therapy\u201d designation from the FDA. MDMA can reduce PTSD symptoms even in treatment-resistant cases by increasing certain neurohormones, i.e., dopamine, serotonin, norepinephrine, and oxytocin. It also modulates activities in the brain regions involved in fear and anxiety. Future research is needed to show whether the advantages outweigh the disadvantages and whether its use can be integrated into available treatment options for PTSD.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/diseases11040159","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2023,11,3]],"date-time":"2023-11-03T10:51:28Z","timestamp":1699008688000},"page":"159","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":17,"title":["MDMA-Based Psychotherapy in Treatment-Resistant Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): A Brief Narrative Overview of Current Evidence"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"11","author":[{"given":"Kainat","family":"Riaz","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Dow Medical College, Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi 75700, Pakistan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Sejal","family":"Suneel","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Dow Medical College, Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi 75700, Pakistan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Mohammad","family":"Hamza Bin Abdul Malik","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Services Institute of Medical Sciences, Lahore 54000, Pakistan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6722-192X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Tooba","family":"Kashif","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Jinnah Sindh Medical University, Karachi 75510, Pakistan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1100-101X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Irfan","family":"Ullah","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Kabir Medical College, Gandhara University, Peshawar 25120, Pakistan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Abdul","family":"Waris","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Kabir Medical College, Gandhara University, Peshawar 25120, Pakistan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7457-0426","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Marco","family":"Di Nicola","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Geriatrics, Neuroscience and Orthopedics, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, Universit\u00e0 Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 00168 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3007-8162","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Marianna","family":"Mazza","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Geriatrics, Neuroscience and Orthopedics, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, Universit\u00e0 Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 00168 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9767-8752","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Gabriele","family":"Sani","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Geriatrics, Neuroscience and Orthopedics, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, Universit\u00e0 Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 00168 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7292-2341","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Giovanni","family":"Martinotti","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Neurosciences, Imaging, and Clinical Sciences, University G. D\u2019Annunzio, 66100 Chieti-Pescara, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4415-5058","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Domenico","family":"De Berardis","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Psychiatry, Azienda Sanitaria Locale 4, 64100 Teramo, Italy"},{"name":"School of Nursing, University of L\u2019Aquila, 67100 L\u2019Aquila, Italy"},{"name":"International Centre for Education and Research in Neuropsychiatry, Samara State Medical University, 443100 Samara, Russia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2023,11,3]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"651","DOI":"10.1037\/hea0001127","article-title":"Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as a systemic disorder: Pathways to cardiovascular disease","volume":"41","author":"Krantz","year":"2022","journal-title":"Health Psychol."},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1827","DOI":"10.1016\/j.mayocp.2020.06.002","article-title":"Shell Shock and PTSD: A Tale of Two Diagnoses","volume":"95","author":"Vance","year":"2020","journal-title":"Mayo Clin. 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