Right now, about 30% of Americans treated for clinical depression don’t see any improvements. Not with therapy. Not after trying one medication, then another, then a third. Relief remains agonizingly out of reach.
That’s why doctors, therapists, and Washington policymakers are increasingly open to a new potential solution: psychedelic medicines.
President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing federal agencies to speed up research and FDA review of experimental psychedelic treatments that could treat serious mental illnesses. In May, the Department of Veterans Affairs launched a clinical trial studying MDMA-assisted treatment for veterans with PTSD and alcohol use disorder.
I’ve spent my career working alongside the people and organizations on the front lines of America’s mental health crisis. As CEO of the National Council for Mental Wellbeing, I represent more than 3,200 mental health and substance use organizations serving millions of Americans each year.
Many clinicians are calling for more treatment options to supplement existing ones, which don’t always meet every patient’s needs. While healthy debate over psychedelic medicines should continue, they deserve serious, evidence-based evaluation as a potential new tool for mental health care.
The need for additional mental health treatment options is urgent. An analysis in The Lancet found that anxiety disorders have increased by 158% and depressive disorders by 131% since 1990. As more Americans seek help for mental health challenges, providers need every available tool to support recovery.
To be sure, existing treatment regimens — including therapy, psychiatric medications and peer support services — have helped millions of people lead healthier, more stable lives.
But no single treatment works for everyone. Up to 70% of people with major depressive disorder fail to achieve remission after their first course of medication, and roughly 30% develop treatment-resistant depression, meaning no treatment they try provides adequate relief.
These tough cases explain the growing interest in psychedelics. Psychedelic-assisted treatment regimens typically involve administering compounds such as psilocybin or MDMA in carefully controlled settings, along with monitoring and follow-up support from doctors and counselors.
While the research is still ongoing, early findings have been encouraging.
In a randomized clinical trial at Baltimore-based Johns Hopkins University, 71% of participants with major depression experienced a clinically significant reduction in symptoms following psilocybin-assisted treatment, and 54% were in remission four weeks later — meaning they no longer met the diagnostic criteria for clinical depression.
Another trial involving patients with treatment-resistant depression found that psilocybin reduced depressive symptoms among people who had failed multiple previous treatments. Nearly one-third of participants receiving the highest dose achieved remission after three weeks.
Researchers have also reported promising results studying MDMA-assisted treatment for PTSD. In a large phase 3 clinical trial, more than 70% of participants with moderate-to-severe PTSD no longer met the diagnostic criteria for PTSD following treatment.
These findings are encouraging, particularly for patients who have exhausted existing treatment options. But encouraging results are not the same as definitive evidence. That is precisely why these medicines should meet the same rigorous scientific standards applied to any potential new treatment. And no one should attempt to self-medicate or pursue psychedelic treatments without appropriate medical supervision.
If the evidence ultimately supports the safety and effectiveness of certain psychedelic treatments, it’ll be up to policymakers and doctors to integrate these new options into the broader mental health system.
HHS recently encouraged providers to consider both pharmacological and nonpharmacological approaches when developing individualized treatment plans. If approved, clinicians should evaluate psychedelic medicines through that same lens — as one more option for patients, not a replacement for existing care.
Every person in this country deserves access to high-quality mental health and substance use care. That goal should guide the conversation around potential new treatments. Clinical innovation should be the expectation, not the exception — because doctors need a full range of evidence-based tools to deliver effective, compassionate care.
Scientists are still investigating whether psychedelic medicines are sufficiently safe and effective. But if the research ultimately shows that they are, every provider and every patient desperate for relief deserves the option of trying those treatments.
Chuck Ingoglia is president and CEO of the National Council for Mental Wellbeing.
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