Psychological Effects Of MDMA

MDMA (Ecstasy) is a human manufactured psychoactive drug for recreational use. It is both a hallucinogen and stimulant because of its effects on the physiological and nervous activity in the body. It was discovered in 1914, in Germany at Merck which is a pharmaceutical company. It was originally patented as an appetite suppressant and diet pill, but it never marketed as such because of its harmful side effects (Inaba, D., & Cohen, W., 2014). In 1953, it surfaced again when the U.S Army carried out psychological warfare and brainwashing experiments on animals. It was studied as a potential chemical agent that would temporarily disable enemy troops, but nothing came from it and testing ceased. Another sixteen years passed before the first human study appeared which was conducted and written by Dr. Alexander Shulgin. He recommended its use to a number of therapists to help their patients tap into their emotions and repress their memories. In the late
MDMA is a moderately teratogenic drug meaning it is toxic to the fetus. In recent studies conducted, fetuses that are exposed to ecstasy move and grow at a much slower rate than a fetus not exposed. After birth the fetus shows discomfort in new surroundings because of its impaired motor function and brain development. MDMA causes excessive neuron growth in the frontal cortex which is responsible for problem solving, memory, language, judgement, social and sexual behavior, and impulse control. It also causes excessive neuron growth in the striatum which is responsible for our voluntary movements. The severity of these effects increase with the usage (Pappas, 2012). Individuals who take ecstasy often also engage in binge drinking, smoke cigarettes, and have multiple sex partners which can obviously cause a greater effect on the fetus (Butcher, J., Hooley, J., & Mineka S.,