Drug-assisted Psychotherapy
The effects of drug-assisted psychotherapy are both pharmacological and psychotherapeutic. The pharmacological effects include hypertension, hypothermia, faintness, and unconsciousness. These effects vary with different drugs. Besides, they vary from one person to another. The psychotherapeutic effects, on the other hand, include paranoia, anxiety, and panicking (Sessa, Higbed & Nutt, 2019). Self-isolation and mood swings are also possible psychotherapeutic effects of the drugs that assist in psychotherapy. Answering the question regarding the nature of drug-assisted psychotherapy effects may be challenging since different drugs lead to varying effects on the patient.
Fatal overdoses on MDMA may occur, though rarely. The fatality may be life-threatening with symptoms like hypertension and faintness. The symptoms may also include panicking at some point. Besides, MDMA overdoses may lead to unconsciousness as well as seizures. In other cases, MDMA may lead to hypothermia, a situation where the body temperature rises. It is one of the rare acute adverse cases caused by physical activities, which are vigorous and extended in hot environments (Studerus et al., 2017). According to research, moderate doses of MDMA also affect the ability of the body to regulate temperature leading to severe effects. Other possible risks of MDMA include appetite loss, depersonalization, nausea, disorganization of thoughts as well as stiff joints.
Psilocybin risks are mostly psychological. However, the drug may cause mild effects, which vary, from one person to another. These include an increase in heart rate, hypertension and the intensification of emotions. The drug may also lead to symptoms like nausea, tremors and high perspiration (Studerus et al., 2017). The combination of these symptoms may lead to psychological issues, for example, anxiety and paranoia. Besides, the patient may experience mood swings and panic. The drug has rare long-term risks, which, according to researchers, may also be due to other psychological illnesses.
References
Sessa, B., Higbed, L., & Nutt, D. (2019). A review of 3, 4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA)-assisted psychotherapy. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 10, 138.
Studerus, E., Gamma, A., Kometer, M., & Vollenweider, F. X. (2017). Prediction of psilocybin response in healthy volunteers. PloS one, 7(2).