BTL Blog Comments

Tue, 15 Dec 2009 10:15:1260836121 GMT

Hi there
the full research is now published

http://ndarc.med.unsw.edu.au/NDARCWeb.nsf/resources/EDRS+Bulletin+April09.pdf/$file/EDRS+December+2009.pdf

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 03:06:1258563960 GMT

From my own experience in the party scene in australia, i feel like there are two main segments of regular ecstasy users....young adults, professionals, and uni students from good back grounds who like to go out to festivals and clubs and take drugs, and then regular partiers of a lower socio-economic class, often not working and on centrelink etc....i saw this group more esp when i visited Newcastle with friends.

I think the middle class party kids who take ecstasy probably tend to have more up/down/dramatic lives than 'good' young people who dont go out partying all the time, stick to drinking etc, which refects the results seen, and then the second group inherently tends to be less happy, wealthy, and in control of their own lifes, due to their background.....again would make sense they would correlate to lower happiness and depression.

That being said, of coures if you use ecstasy regularly your mood will be a bit up and down on a rollercoaster ride, and those users tend to also regularly use marijuana in their lifestyles, which can also cause depression.....which also would explain the results.

I started using ecstasy a year ago and i think my mood and emotions are probably not as good/stable as they were before i started...in some ways i regret a bit taking it so much though i would also like to think i have been a responsible user..i know what im buying, i eat heathy outside of times i am out partying, i avoid going on weekend long binges (one big night ever few weekends is enough i think)....so i feel that if i have suffered negative consequences, hopefully their magnitude is not too bad and i know i have rationally made my choices,and do have some awesome and unique memories and experinces from it... :)

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 01:01:1258556513 GMT

Hey Moki
Thanks for the comment. We all know about the come down or "mid week crash" effects of ecstasy. The UK govt did a review of the literature recently on the harms of ecstasy and their point 8.2 (MDMA and health effects) states that in regard to clinical depression

The evidence is currently equivocal – most studies do not find significantly increased levels of clinical depression in current or ex-MDMA users; however, when combined, the available evidence suggests that there is a small but significant exposure effect

One study has found that scores on depression rating scales in MDMA users were somewhat elevated compared with non-users , although, even in the most affected group, these ratings did not fall within the range considered symptomatic of clinical depression

the review can be found at
http://drugs.homeoffice.gov.uk/publication-search/acmd/mdma-report

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:22:1258554136 GMT

There is TOTALLY an established link between ecstasy and depression! I've seen it in my friends and read about it over the years.

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 11:16:1258506995 GMT

This is my take and to emphasize that socioeconomic factors (eg. unemployment, education, incarceration) effect REU more than their pattern of drug use. makes sense .. no job, less happiness. This is important to get clear. More is needed to understand how "bingeing" effects personal wellness.