Ecstasy : The Complete Guide : A Comprehensive Look at the Risks and Benefits of MDMA
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, CACopyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.