The Great Game

LINDA MARSA, LA TIMES - People dying of incurable diseases are often crippled by depression, fear and anxiety. But the drugs that offer relief for those problems can be overly sedating, making patients mentally foggy. Within the next few months, a group of late-stage cancer patients will be given an illicit party drug to see if it can help them come to terms with their situation. That chemical is MDMA, better known as Ecstasy. "There are so few palliative care options for the terminally ill," says Dr. John H. Halpern, a psychiatrist who will be conducting this research at Harvard University's McLean Hospital in Belmont, Mass. "And there is anecdotal evidence that MDMA can help them resolve the anxieties they experience without doping them up on tranquilizers."

The study is part of a resurgence in research into the therapeutic uses of psychedelics for severe psychiatric ills that don't respond to traditional treatment. Because of the chemicals' profound ability to alter perception and mood, scientists hope they will melt the psychological barriers that prevent patients from getting better. (Link)