--- title: Drug ‘Ecstasy’ May Help Individuals with Schizophrenia, Autism | Psych Central News date: 2010-12-19T22:55:45Z modified: 2010-12-19T22:55:45Z permalink: "https://nko.org/drug-ecstasy-individuals-schizophrenia-autism-psych-central-news/" type: post status: publish excerpt: "" wpid: 847 categories: - Environment author: Paul Garrett Hugel timestamp: 2010-12-19T22:55:45Z tags: - Environment --- > [Home](http://psychcentral.com/news/2010/12/17/drug-‘ecstasy’-may-help-individuals-with-schizophrenia-autism/21876.html#) » [News](http://psychcentral.com/news/2010/12/17/drug-‘ecstasy’-may-help-individuals-with-schizophrenia-autism/21876.html#) » [Substance Abuse News](http://psychcentral.com/news/2010/12/17/drug-‘ecstasy’-may-help-individuals-with-schizophrenia-autism/21876.html#) » Drug ‘Ecstasy’ May Help Individuals with Schizophrenia, Autism > > ### [Drug ‘Ecstasy’ May Help Individuals with Schizophrenia, Autism](http://psychcentral.com/news/2010/12/17/drug-%e2%80%98ecstasy%e2%80%99-may-help-individuals-with-schizophrenia-autism/21876.html "Permanent Link: Drug ‘Ecstasy’ May Help Individuals with Schizophrenia, Autism") > > By Traci Pedersen _Associate News Editor_ > Reviewed by John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on December 17, 2010 > > ![Drug ‘Ecstasy’ May Help Individuals with Schizophrenia, Autism](http://g.psychcentral.com/news/u/2010/12/ecstasy.jpg "Ecstasy tablets") Some scientists believe that the drug MDMA (ecstasy), which is known to increase feelings of social connection and empathy, may have psychotherapeutic benefits for those with disorders often associated with a lack of feeling connected to others, such as in [schizophrenia](http://psychcentral.com/disorders/schizophrenia/ "schizophrenia"), autism, or antisocial personality disorder. > > Up until now, scientists have had a hard time objectively measuring the effects of this drug, and there has been very little research in humans. Researchers from the University of Chicago, who conducted research on healthy volunteers, have reported their new findings in the current issue of _Biological Psychiatry_. > > “We found that MDMA produced friendliness, playfulness, and loving feelings, even when it was administered to people in a laboratory with little social contact. We also found that MDMA reduced volunteers’ capacity to recognize facial expressions of fear in other people, an effect that may be involved in the increased sociability said to be produced by MDMA,” said author Dr. Gillinder Bedi. > > These findings suggest that MDMA makes others appear more attractive and friendly, and this may be the reason for its popularity as a recreational drug. Furthermore, it makes others appear less intimidating, which may allow an individual to feel more confident in social risk-taking. > > “Within the context of treatment, these effects may promote intimacy among people who have difficulty feeling close to others,” said Dr. John Krystal, editor of _Biological Psychiatry_. > > “However, MDMA distorts one’s perception of others rather than producing true empathy. Thus, MDMA may cause problems if it leads people to misinterpret the emotional state and perhaps intentions of others.” > > Further studies in controlled settings will be necessary before MDMA can be considered for use as a psychotherapeutic drug. However, these findings also emphasize the importance of understanding how different drugs affect social experiences, since abused drugs are often used in social situations. > > This study was funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse. > > Source: [Elsevier](http://www.elsevier.com) > > **Related News Articles** > > - [Sleep Deprivation May Ease Fearful Memories ](http://psychcentral.com/news/2010/12/08/sleep-deprivation-may-ease-fearful-memories/21627.html "Sleep Deprivation May Ease Fearful Memories ") > - [New Insights on Brain’s Internal Wiring ](http://psychcentral.com/news/2010/11/03/new-insights-on-brains-internal-wiring/20500.html "New Insights on Brain’s Internal Wiring ") > - [Immune Response Offers Possible Insight to Schizophrenia, Autism](http://psychcentral.com/news/2010/10/20/immune-response-offers-possible-insight-to-schizophrenia-autism/19690.html "Immune Response Offers Possible Insight to Schizophrenia, Autism") > - [Severely Autistic Children Miss Yawning Cues](http://psychcentral.com/news/2010/09/21/severely-autistic-children-miss-yawning-cues/18497.html "Severely Autistic Children Miss Yawning Cues") > - [Expression of Emotion Varies by Culture](http://psychcentral.com/news/2010/09/16/expression-of-emotion-varies-by-culture/18257.html "Expression of Emotion Varies by Culture") > - [Why Self-Harm Feels Good in the Brain](http://psychcentral.com/news/2010/08/31/why-self-harm-feels-good-in-the-brain/17456.html "Why Self-Harm Feels Good in the Brain") > - [Family History May Not Predict Autism or Schizophrenia ](http://psychcentral.com/news/2010/08/27/family-history-may-not-predict-autism-or-schizophrenia/17331.html "Family History May Not Predict Autism or Schizophrenia ") > - [Depression Makes You Feel and See “Blue” ](http://psychcentral.com/news/2010/07/22/depression-makes-you-feel-and-see-blue/15873.html "Depression Makes You Feel and See “Blue” ") > - [Brain’s Master Switch Discovered](http://psychcentral.com/news/2010/05/09/brain%e2%80%99s-master-switch-discovered/13667.html "Brain’s Master Switch Discovered") > - [Time-to-Pregnancy Linked to Schizophrenia](http://psychcentral.com/news/2010/05/08/time-to-pregnancy-linked-to-schizophrenia/13644.html "Time-to-Pregnancy Linked to Schizophrenia") > > Related Clinical Articles > –> > > > > [Autism](http://psychcentral.com/news/category/autism "View all posts in Autism"), [Brain and Behavior](http://psychcentral.com/news/category/brain-and-behavior "View all posts in Brain and Behavior"), [Medications](http://psychcentral.com/news/category/medications "View all posts in Medications"), [Psychology](http://psychcentral.com/news/category/psychology "View all posts in Psychology"), [Relationships and Sexuality](http://psychcentral.com/news/category/relationships-sexuality "View all posts in Relationships and Sexuality"), [Research](http://psychcentral.com/news/category/research "View all posts in Research"), [Schizophrenia](http://psychcentral.com/news/category/schizophrenia "View all posts in Schizophrenia"), [Substance Abuse](http://psychcentral.com/news/category/substance-abuse "View all posts in Substance Abuse") –> via [psychcentral.com](http://psychcentral.com/news/2010/12/17/drug-‘ecstasy’-may-help-individuals-with-schizophrenia-autism/21876.html) [Posted via email](http://posterous.com) from [paulhugel’s posterous](http://paulhugel.posterous.com/drug-ecstasy-may-help-individuals-with-schizo) ## Topics **Categories:** [Environment](https://nko.org/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/taxonomy/category/environment.md)