By Ruth Hill R.N.
According to the White House website on Executive Orders, over 14 million American adults have a serious mental illness, defined as having a diagnosable mental, behavioral, or emotional disorder substantially interfering with a person’s life and ability to function. About 8 million are on prescription medication for these conditions. Suicide rates tragically increased by 37 percent from 2000 to 2018.
The COVID-19 pandemic and the Biden Administration’s prolonged shutdown caused suicide rates to rebound upwards to their peak rate in 2022. Critically, veterans often suffer in greater measure from this tragedy. For over 20 years, there have been more than 6,000 veteran suicides per year, and the current veteran suicide rate is more than twice that of the non-veteran adult population. Despite massive Federal investment into researching advancements in mental health care and treatment, it has yet to produce approved therapies in the mental health condition of these most complex patients.
A study review evaluates three major Coronavirus outbreaks of the last two decades to investigate resilience factors for PTSD and PTSS in Health Care Workers (HCWs). It included nineteen studies on the SARS 2003 outbreak, two on the MERS 2012 outbreak, and three on the COVID-19 ongoing outbreak. Risk factor variables included exposure to workplace violence, working role, years of work experience, social and work support, job organization, age, gender, marital status, and coping styles. It will be critical to account for these factors when planning effective intervention strategies to treat HCWs with psychedelics.
A survey of 1,200 American amputee veterans (published in PubMed) found that 85% reported significant, often debilitating phantom pain, with either intense, fleeting episodes or near-continuous discomfort from the missing limb. These findings highlighted a major discrepancy, as previous clinical experience suggested only 1–5% of amputees suffered severe, chronic phantom pain. Not a psychiatric illness. It is a real neurological phenomenon.
Psychedelic drugs, including ibogaine compounds, show potential in clinical studies to address serious mental illnesses for patients whose conditions persist after completing standard therapy. Indeed, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Breakthrough Therapy designation to specific psychedelic drugs, and there are numerous products currently in the clinical trial pipeline for review of safety and efficacy.
The Trump Administration’s Executive Order (EO) on April 18, 2026, wants to “accelerate innovative research models and appropriate drug approvals to increase access to psychedelic drugs that could save lives and reverse the crisis of serious mental illness in America. The EO directs the FDA and Drug Enforcement Administration to facilitate and establish a pathway for eligible patients to access psychedelic drugs, including ibogaine compounds, under the Right to Try Act (21 U.S.C. 360bbb-0a), including any necessary Schedule I handling authorizations for treating physicians and researchers.”
The Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), will allocate at least $50 million from existing funds to support and partner with State governments that have enacted or are developing programs to advance psychedelic drugs for the treatment of serious mental illnesses.
Per the WH website, “HHS and FDA shall collaborate with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and, with the private sector, to increase clinical trial participation, data sharing, and real-world evidence generation regarding psychedelic drugs, and shall prioritize drugs that have received a Breakthrough Therapy designation. The HHS, FDA, and VA are directed to sign data-sharing memoranda as appropriate to ensure that data from relevant clinical studies is made available to the FDA to facilitate the timely evaluation and approval of drugs that meet standards for approval under section 505 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.”
“The Attorney General shall, in consultation with HHS, initiate and complete review of any product containing a Schedule I substance that has successfully completed Phase 3 clinical trials for a serious mental health disorder, so that rescheduling, if appropriate, may proceed as quickly as practicable for such specific products that are ultimately approved under section 505 of the FDA.” Send a thank you to Dr. Oz, Dr. Jay Bhattacharyal, and RFKJr for demonstrating to President Trump, the credibility of the anecdotal and private research the public is already aware of.
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