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Mild MDMA use may not cause social distress

Contrary to previous findings, mild, repeated use of MDMA, also known as ecstasy or molly, was not linked to interpersonal functioning impairment, according to a study published in the Journal of Psychopharmacology.

Instead, researchers found that long-term MDMA users in the study sample exhibited greater levels of subjective emotional and cognitive empathy on a computer task than users of other common recreational drugs, such as cannabis, cocaine and ketamine.

“It has been suggested that MDMA, combined with therapy, might be an effective treatment for psychological trauma and alcoholism, but it has [also]... been suggested that MDMA may cause heightened social distress,” Molly Carlyle, PhD candidate from the Psychopharmacology and Addiction Research Centre, University of Exeter, England, said in a press release.

Carlyle and colleagues examined the long-term impact of recreational MDMA use on social behaviors in a study involving 25 mild MDMA users — who used MDMA about once a month — 19 participants who used other drugs, and 23 who only used alcohol.

Participants completed a questionnaire measuring emotional and cognitive empathy as well as the Multifaceted Empathy Test — a computerized task that measures and distinguishes between cognitive and emotional empathy — and the Cyberball Game — a computer game that simulates the experience of social rejection.

The researchers found that MDMA users had greater subjective emotional empathy and cognitive empathy on the computer task than poly-drug users who did not use MDMA. Specifically, for subjective emotional empathy, MDMA users scored significantly higher than the non-MDMA drug users (t(42) = 3.54; P = .004), but not significantly different from the alcohol-only users (t(46) = 2.19; P = .066). For cognitive empathy on the computer task, analysis revealed that the MDMA user group scored significantly higher than the non-MDMA user group (t(46) = 2.85; P = .028).

However, the results showed no significant differences between groups in subjective responses to social exclusion.

"We can’t say whether differences in empathy are due to taking MDMA, or whether there were already differences in the people who use MDMA and those who don't before they started taking the drug,” Celia Morgan, PhD, professor of psychopharmacology at University of Exeter, said in the release. “But, importantly, this study suggests that MDMA may be used safely as a treatment without side effects on these crucial social processes." – by Savannah Demko

Disclosure: The authors report no relevant financial disclosures.