PTSD Treatments aren’t Effective, So Government Green Lights… Ecstasy???

PTSD Treatments aren’t Effective, So Government Green Lights… Ecstasy???
by Scott Faith

This article first appeared in The Havok Journal on December 2, 2016, and was updated after subsequent reporting on this subject.

In yet another misguided attempt to address the legitimate plague of PTSD in America, the FDA recently approved a large scale trial to treat the condition with a powerful mind-affecting drug.  You’ve probably heard of this drug before.  It’s called methylenedioxymethamphetamine.  You might know it as MDMA, or what is often referred to as the party drugs “Mollie” and “ecstasy” or simply “X.”

That’s right folks, the government approved a big study to treat PSTD with X.

It is an incontrovertible fact that PTSD is grossly misdiagnosed, and easily faked, and using MDMA to treat people who have (or claim to have) PTSD is a huge mistake.

The results are predictable:  the treatment benefits of using MDMA to battle PTSD (if there are any) will be greatly overshadowed by the crush of people who will suddenly “catch the PTSD” in order to get “medicinal Mollie” or who spend their days getting stoned instead of getting treatment for what really ails them.  The few people who legitimately do have PTSD and take MDMA to mask its effects will still have the condition, they’ll just be too stoned to notice.  That doesn’t sound like a good idea to me.

Those who legitimately have PTSD, especially Veterans, should be moving away from “zombie dope,” not towards it.  MDMA’s long-lasting, mood-altering and physically-debilitating effects make it even less likely that those with PTSD will be able to hold jobs, think clearly and logically, and function well in society.  Not to mention the fact that it will almost certainly (and probably quite reasonably) affect your ability to own and/or carry a firearm.

Well, at least there aren’t any other potential downsides from using an addictive, mind-altering illegal drug, right?  From Time Magazine:

Despite the dreadful, serotonin-depleted ecstasy hangovers known as “suicide Tuesdays,” users have for many years promoted the drug’s salutary features.”

Wait, what?? We’re promoting a mind- and mood-altering drug that has a known side effect called “suicide Tuesdays” to treat PTSD, a condition that can cause anxiety, sleep deprivation, depression and suicidal thoughts?  For real, FDA?

OK, I admit that even while I was able to discern the meaning from context, I had to look up the word “salutary” from the above quote.  The word means “producing a healthful benefit” or “promoting health.”  Yeah, OK, I can see that, so in the context of MDMA, “salutary” means keeping you stoned, making you depressed and/or suicidal, and probably getting your guns taken away.  Roger.

Look, the same people who are pushing Mollie for PTSD admit that the most effective way of treating PTSD is group therapy.  So why aren’t we looking at ways to improve that?  Right, because there’s not a Big Pharma payday associated with it.

Veterans should stay far, far away from “treatments” that involve getting stoned, and do what we do best: help each other.

Scott Faith is a veteran of a half-dozen combat deployments and has served in several different Special Operations units over the course of his Army career. Scott’s writing focuses largely on veterans’ issues, but he is also a big proponent of Constitutional rights and has a deep interest in politics. He often allows other veterans who request anonymity to publish their work under his byline. Scott welcomes story ideas and feedback on his articles and can be reached at havokjournal@havokmedia.com.