Ecstasy

Starred review from September 15, 2001
Holland, an attending psychiatrist at New York's Bellevue Hospital and an authority on street drugs, here compiles articles from numerous experts on Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (also known as MDMA, Adam, and Ecstasy). She succeeds admirably in her twofold goal of providing complete, reliable information to recreational users and educating the public about potential clinical uses for the drug. MDMA was used as an adjunct to psychotherapy for over a decade until the Drug Enforcement Administration classified it as a Schedule I drug in 1985. It then went underground and is today increasingly popular as a party drug. After looking at MDMA's history, pharmacology, and legal status, the text discusses its potential clinical uses in the treatment of such psychiatric conditions as depression, schizophrenia, and posttraumatic stress syndrome. Various chapters also address MDMA-assisted psychotherapy, current international research, and political issues. Finally, risks of recreational use and ways to mitigate them are discussed. Well researched yet written in very understandable language, this volume makes a strong case for studying and legalizing MDMA for therapeutic purposes, without minimizing the potential dangers of abuse. An important contribution to the literature on illegal drugs; highly recommended for all public and academic libraries. Eris Weaver, Redwood Health Lib., Petaluma, CA

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