THE RE-EMERGENCE OF A PSYCHIATRIC PARADIGM : A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS OF THE EFFICACY OF MDMA-ASSISTED AND PSILOCYBIN-ASSISTED PSYCHOTHERAPY FOR PTSD AND MDD

Abstract: Psychedelic research became throttled in the 1970s, though the clinical interest for psychedelics has seen a resurgence in the last couple of decades for their application as psychotherapy-adjunct substances used to treat various psychological disorders. Primarily mediated through agonism at the serotonin 2a receptor, psychedelics encompass and subsequently effect vast areas of the brain and implicates several limbic structures of relevance for emotional processing. The purpose of this thesis was to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of 3,4-methylenedyoxymethamphetamine (MDMA)-assisted psychotherapy for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy for depression. Clinical trials using placebo or active control in the control groups were searched for in the databases PubMed and PsycINFO, which yielded 4 articles for MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD (MAPP) and 3 articles for psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy for depression (PAPD) that met the inclusion criteria. The results showed large effect sizes for both MAPP and PAPD at approximately one month after administration. These results further corroborate the therapeutic potential of MDMA and psilocybin. Further research is needed to explore the generalisability of these therapies across populations and other affective disorders.