Pentagon Funds First-Ever MDMA Study for Active-Duty Troops at Walter Reed

People at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center stated that they have been given a $4.9 million grant by the Department of Defense to research MDMA-assisted therapy as a way to help active-duty Army members with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

As part of the 2024 Defense Appropriations Act, the study tries to find out how MDMA makes people more psychologically flexible, which is thought to be one of the ways it helps with therapy. The double-blind placebo study will be led by Major Aaron Wolfgang, in charge of inpatient psychiatry at Walter Reed.

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This study is the first time that MDMA has been used to help treat PTSD in active-duty military members. In the middle of the 20th century, the U.S. government did secret psychedelic tests on troops. This is the first official clinical trial of its kind.

A second grant will pay for a similar study with Emory University and STRONG STAR, a group of researchers at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio.

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A new review in the American Journal of Psychiatry says that MDMA is different from LSD, psilocybin, and mescaline because it has positive effects on society, like increased trust and self-compassion, while still keeping the mind clear. Researchers think that these benefits could make it a good way to treat PTSD.

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Millions of veterans and active-duty military members suffer from PTSD, and this study could lead to new ways to treat it. If it works, more people may be able to get therapy with MDMA in both military and civilian healthcare situations.

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