Users of drug Ecstasy cannot control moods

Ecstasy can disrupt brain chemistry and cause lasting psychological damage, according to new research presented at this week's British Psychological Society conference.

Valerie Curran, of University College London, was among scientists whose research into the drug, technically known as MDMA, suggests that ex-users are not able to regulate amounts of the brain chemical serotonin, which has a powerful effect on mood.

The drug, used as an adjunct to psychotherapy in the 1970s and thought to be used by more than half a million recreational users every weekend, has also been found to have a strong association with a range of disorders such as depression, anger, hostility, anxiety and aggression.