VA Launches Psychedelic Drug Trial for Veterans: Here's Who Can Take Part
The trial seeks to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of using psilocybin to treat depression in veterans.
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has initiated a medical trial to assess the efficacy of psilocybin in treating depression among veterans who have not responded to conventional treatments. This comes in the wake of President Donald Trump's executive order in April, which aimed to broaden access and trial opportunities for psychedelic drugs to combat serious mental health conditions across the United States.
VA Secretary Doug Collins announced the trial, stating that "far too many Veterans are living with mental health conditions that don't respond to available treatments." The trial, named "Psilocybin Intervention for Veterans Overcoming Treatment-Resistant Depression," aims to compare the clinical outcomes of veterans who receive two different dosages of psilocybin, one of the psychoactive compounds found in magic mushrooms.
The study will observe the participants' reported levels of depression before and after treatment. The VA will conduct this trial at five locations. The VA has emphasized that veterans should not self-medicate or replace other mental health treatments with psychedelics or any other unprescribed substances. Currently, the VA is involved in 20 active trials examining psychedelic treatments for mental health conditions.
The FDA has granted breakthrough therapy designation for several companies developing substances such as MDMA, LSD, and psilocybin, allowing for expedited analysis and trials.
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