Evaluating mental health professional attitudes of a new treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

Potential participants are being directed to an online survey, via a URL received in an online advertisment. The survey was designed specificaly for this study and takes approximately 10 minutes to complete. The intervention involves reading a vignette of a hypothetical patient with a diagnosis of PTSD, who has tried several pharmacological and psychotherapeutic treatments that have failed to ameliorate their symptoms. The patient is seeking advice about participating in a Phase-III clinical trial assessing a novel pharmacotherapy treatment. The vignettes are identical except for the descriptions of the treatments. 1) Experimental group: “Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA)-assisted psychotherapy for the treatment of PTSD, as part of a phase 3 clinical trial. MDMA is commonly known as the active chemical from the party drug ‘ecstasy’”; 2) Control group: “JB-4801-assisted psychotherapy for the treatment of PTSD, as part of a phase 3 clinical trial. JB-4801 is a new drug being developed by the University”. Both vignettes stated “preliminary studies have suggested this treatment has worked for a high proportion of people with PTSD and has very low chance for negative side-effects”. Once participants complete the questions on the page containing the vignette and progress through the survey, they can no longer read the vignette. They are able to complete the survey using any device that can connect to the internet, at any time within the data collection period. There is no time limit to complete the survey, so long as it falls within this period. They require no direct contact with study personnel. The vignettes were designed by three mental health professionals, working within psychiatry, psychology and mental health research.