This podcast discusses the carefully controlled clinical use of MDMA in a therapeutic research setting with specially trained professionals. MDMA remains a class A illegal drug and recreational use can carry significant legal and health risks. Please do not try this at home.

Recent research has found that MDMA-assisted therapy is a safe and effective intervention for severe post-traumatic stress disorder (PSTD), but it remains a heavily restricted drug. Dr Mat Hoskins hopes that his research carried out in Cardiff and other studies across Europe will improve the quality of the research investigating this novel treatment approach.

We were thrilled to sit down with Mat to understand what led him to this type of research, why does it work, and what does a session actually involve.

Dr Mat Hoskins is the Lead Consultant Psychiatrist for adults at Traumatic Stress Wales. He also works as a Psychiatric Intensive Care Consultant and has experience using Trauma Focused Psychological Therapies.

Traumatic Stress Wales (TSW) is funded by Welsh Government and aims to improve the health and wellbeing of people of all ages living in Wales at risk of developing or with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or complex post-traumatic stress disorder (CPTSD). Visit the Traumatic Stress Wales website.

Join our research community

At NCMH, we are fortunate to collaborate with TSW through our Traumatic Stress Research Group. If you're interested in joining our research community and hearing about the research projects that are available to get involved in, you can sign-up on our NCMH website.

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In this episode we're joined by Professor Jon Bisson and Michael Davitt to discuss lived experience of complex post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and the ongoing research looking into the diagnosis at the NCMH.

PTSD is the name given to a set of symptoms that some people develop after experiencing major traumatic events. The traumatic event can be a single incident or take place over many months or years. Up to one third of people who have experienced a traumatic event develop some PTSD symptoms. Studies estimate that around 7% of people will suffer from PTSD at some point in their lives.

Complex PTSD is a condition where you experience the same symptoms of PTSD, along with some additional symptoms such as feeling very angry or distrustful towards the world, as well many more.

Find out about the traumatic stress research taking place at the NCMH today: https://www.ncmh.info/help-with-research/traumatic-experiences-study/

To find out more about Professor Bisson's work into PTSD: https://traumaticstress.nhs.wales/

For further PTSD support and guidance:

• NCMH - PTSD leaflet
• Mind - What is complex PTSD?
• Mind - Useful contacts

Get involved with the NCMH traumatic stress research group: ncmh-trials@cardiff.ac.uk

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In this episode of the Piece of Mind podcast, we're joined by Andrea Meek, Dr Elisa Vigna, and Gerraint Jones-Griffiths to discuss the Engage to Change project which has supported over 1,200 young people with a learning disability or autism into employment over the last eight years.

Engage to Change has worked across Wales since 2016 to support young people aged 16-25 who have a learning difficulty, learning disability, or autism to achieve their full potential. The project has worked with over 1,200 young people to offer job placements, supported internships, and job coach support over a seven year period.

Engage to Change is now in its 'Influencing and Informing' phase, taking forward the research and legacy work of the project to ensure it impacts policy and practise in Wales. The project is funded by the Lottery Community Fund in partnership with Welsh Government.

To learn more about the Engage to Change project, visit: https://www.engagetochange.org.uk/

Links mentioned in this video:

• Engage to Change: https://www.engagetochange.org.uk/research-evaluation/
• NCMH blog: https://www.ncmh.info/2023/05/22/getting-young-people-with-autism-and-learning-disabilities-into-employment-ncmh-finds-out-what-works/
• Project highlights video: https://youtu.be/pjwKKGmKaGA
• Job coach support video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTdwF4FIFvE
• Interviews with family video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXmwQx8RdO8

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