The Department of Veterans Affairs will begin funding research on psychedelic compounds such as Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) and psilocybin when used in conjunction with psychotherapy to treat veterans with PTSD and depression.
This is the first time since the 1960s that VA is funding research on such compounds.
“Our nation’s veterans deserve the very best care, and VA is constantly supporting innovations to deliver that,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Denis McDonough in a Jan. 5 release. “This is an important step to explore the efficacy of a potential new set of promising treatments that could improve the health and quality of life for veterans.”
VA Under Secretary for Health Dr. Shereef Elnahal said that veterans and VA researchers have “told us about the potential promise of psychedelics to treat mental health conditions for some time. Now is our chance to study this potential method of treating veterans with PTSD and major depression across the country.”
The release noted that the research conducted on psychedelic compounds, which are controlled substances and tightly restricted under federal law, may be conducted with appropriate regulatory approvals, including those from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
The FDA granted breakthrough therapy status for MDMA for treating PTSD in 2018 and psilocybin for treating depression in 2019, based on promising preliminary research evidence.
In September, more than 75 VA and other federal clinicians, scientists and policymakers gathered in Denver to assess the state of existing scientific evidence regarding psychedelic-assisted therapies. The meeting’s working groups provided advice to VA leadership, including the recommendation for VA to begin funding its own studies into these compounds.
That guidance was based on previously published studies that found promising results but included few or no veterans. Researchers at Johns Hopkins have shown that psilocybin therapy, given with supportive therapy, can ease symptoms of depression for up to 12 months. Additionally, 86% of participants in a recent peer-reviewed study achieved a “clinically meaningful benefit” from using MDMA to treat PTSD.
VA researchers have already conducted a limited number of small studies on psychedelics in VA facilities using non-VA funding. This new RFA will permit the important next step of directly assessing the effectiveness and safety of using MDMA and psilocybin-augmented psychotherapy in veterans.
Veterans Service Organizations such as the American Legion, Disabled American Veterans and mental health provider groups have also called for expanding research on psychedelics to address veteran mental health.
The National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2024 also authorized the study of psychedelics within military populations by the Department of Defense.
Veterans struggling with mental health or substance-use disorders can find more VA resources here.
Reach Julia LeDoux at Julia@connectingvets.com.