Once a teen gets a taste for the buzz from alcohol and pot, he or she may become curious as to what else is out there. Ecstasy and cocaine abuse is common for teens now, especially on college campuses and at clubs. The abuse of all these drugs may lead to a person taking their life. Between 20 and 35 percent of suicide victims had a history of alcohol and drug abuse (5). Alcohol tends to have a more impulsive action rather then a premeditated reaction (4). Some of these statistics are staggering, but true. One study showed that drug and alcohol abuse was the most common characteristic of those who committed suicide, and 70% of those teens who suicide frequently used drugs and or alcohol (6).
One drug that is on the rise in use is the drug MDMA, also known as E or Ecstasy. Some of the other street names for this drug are love drug, beans, rolls, and X. MDMA is most commonly referred to as Ecstasy and is a "synthetic, psychoactive drug with both stimulant (amphetamine-like) and hallucinogenic (LSD-like) properties". MDMA is also a neurotoxin, which in high doses can raise body temperature and cause muscle and kidney breakdown that eventually leads to failure of the cardiovascular system. This said, the drug is still one of the most popular on the market, and demand is rising (8).
MDMA is made up of a chemical structure consisting of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine. It depletes serotonin-producing neurons after prompting "nerve cells to release a flood of serotonin". MDA, a parent drug of MDMA, destroys neurons that contain the neurotransmitter dopamine whose destruction is an underlying cause in the lack of coordination, tremors, and paralysis that come with Parkinson's disease (8). Dopamine is also thought to be a chemical messenger to learning. The use of MDMA not only reduces the presence of these two very important neurotransmitters, but can have serious side effects as well.