The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is launching a new clinical trial to investigate whether psilocybin can help military veterans who are struggling with treatment-resistant depression.

The move follows VA’s recent announcement of a separate trial on MDMA-assisted therapy in treating veterans with severe mental health disorders, including PTSD and alcohol use disorder.

The new psilocybin and depression research announced on Wednesday, titled “Psilocybin Intervention for Veterans Overcoming Treatment-Resistant Depression,” or PIVOT, will also include veterans concurrent PTSD.

The randomized, controlled trial—which comes on the heels of an executive order President Donald Trump signed in April with the aim of expediting psychedelic therapy access—will be conducted at five separate VA medical centers across Alabama, Oregon, Pennsylvania and Washington State.

“Far too many veterans are living with mental health conditions that don’t respond to available treatments,” VA Secretary Doug Collins said in a press release. “Under President Trump, VA is pursuing all avenues to evaluate new treatments and offer meaningful relief for those who have worn the uniform. This clinical trial reflects another step toward this goal.”

The psilocybin study will compare outcomes between two different dosage levels and will assess levels of depression before and after the psychedelic treatment, as well as tolerability of side effects.

The research “reflects VA’s commitment to pursuing innovative solutions for veterans who have not responded to existing treatments,” the department said in a press release.

Collins, the VA secretary, recently touted psychedelic therapy development at an event in Florida, saying that “we’re making massive progress in how we diagnose things, but also how we do new treatments, which in the past was more of a wait-and-see approach, and now we’re being more cutting-edge.”

Last month, VA and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) launchd a new partnership to collaborate on research and development of psychedelic medicines to treat people struggling with serious mental health conditions.

HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said recently that the Trump administration is “very anxious” to create a pathway for access to psychedelics therapy and that top officials across federal agencies want to “get it out to the public as quickly as possible.”

In an interview on the Joe Rogan Experience in February, Kennedy said he’s confident “we’re going to get it done,” with plans to develop and finalize rules that would enable patients with conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression to access psychedelic substances like psilocybin and MDMA in a “very controlled setting.”

“Everybody in my agency…is very anxious to get a rule out there that will allow these kind of studies and will allow access under therapeutic settings, particularly [for] the military soldiers who have suffered these injuries to get access to these products,” the HHS secretary said. “We’re working through that process now. We’re all working on it and trying to make it happen.”

“I think that we’re going to get it done,” he said.

Last June, Kennedy said his agency is “absolutely committed” to expanding research on the benefits of psychedelic therapy and, alongside of the head of FDA, is aiming to provide legal access to such substances for military veterans “within 12 months.”

Collins disclosed last year that he had an “eye-opening” talk with Kennedy about the therapeutic potential of psychedelic medicine. And he said he’s open to the idea of having the government provide vouchers to cover the costs of psychedelic therapy for veterans who receive services outside of VA as Congress considers pathways for access.

Photo courtesy of Mark Groeneveld.

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Depression is a condition in which you can’t think, feel and act properly. You feel like an empty vessel with no energy or interest in anything. Depression can make you sleep for many hours or very little.

Does depression happen out of the blue?

No. There are certain reasons due to which you might experience depression or other mood disorders.

Causes of Depression

Depression can happen due to:

1. Environment: if your surroundings consist of violence and hopeless circumstances
2. Personal or professional reasons can also lead to depression (Shock or trauma)
3. Hormonal Changes and genetic reasons can contribute to making you feel depressed.

There may be reasons for depression, but help is available.

Antidepressants  

People use antidepressants to cope with the problem of depression; however, they can have side effects ranging from:

• low libido
• Headaches
• Constipation
• Emotional numbness
• Insomnia (sleep issues)
• Weight gain/ Weight loss

Apart from antidepressants people try to use Alcohol and overeating as a way to cope with depression, but it makes things worse in the long run.

Alcohol and overeating can numb the feeling for a while in exchange for making your health worse.

Instead of using antidepressants with side effects, there is a much safer and natural way to help you with depression.

The better alternative is CBD.

CBD and Depression

What is CBD?

Cannabidiol (CBD) is a active compound present in cannabis plant that has many healing properties used for dealing with many mental and physical ailments.

It can help you get out of depression because most individuals suffering from depression don’t have the capacity to make lifestyle changes but also stick with the changes till they feel better.

“In the treatment of complex mental health challenges and multiple diagnoses, I would often prescribe mindfulness and breathing techniques alongside medications and supplements. However, it became obvious that patients in a depressed state often didn’t have the brain motivation or mental resources to stick with a technique long enough to reap the benefits. I realised that they needed a quicker win to get to a point where mindfulness and breathwork might help them.”  

–The CBD Bible by Dani Gordon, MD

CBD can help you deal with depression because it has shown positive results in scientific studies such as:

Many individuals have used it for dealing with depression.

CBD’s medicinal properties include:

•  anti – tumour effects

•  neuroprotective qualities

•  analgesic properties

•  anti – anxiety and antidepressant

•  antipsychotic effects

•  anticonvulsant (used to treat seizures)

•  antioxidant

•  anti – nausea (in some people works best with THC)

•  anti – sebum and anti – acne effects

•  counteracts THC intoxication and THC side effects (very useful where medical cannabis is prescribed for patients who may need some THC for severe symptoms but who do not want to feel intoxicated).

-The CBD Bible by Dani Gordon, MD

Research Findings (How CBD helps with Depression)

1. “Cannabidiol (CBD) has shown promising antidepressant-like effects in preclinical models, primarily mediated through serotonin receptor activation and the enhancement of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) expression.” – source
2. “Patients reported significant reductions in depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms following cannabis use, with high CBD / low THC strains being associated with the largest reduction in depression ratings.” – source
3. “CBD exhibits rapid and sustained antidepressant-like action by modulating synaptic plasticity, neuroinflammation, and hippocampal neurogenesis.” – source
4. “Cannabidiolic acid (CBDA) displayed potent antidepressant-like effects in genetic rat models of depression, demonstrating pharmacological activity at doses substantially lower than CBD.” – source
5. “Cannabidiol induces antidepressant-like and anxiolytic-like effects mainly through its interaction with neuroreceptors, promoting enhanced serotonergic signaling in cortical and subcortical brain regions.” – source
6. “CBD and its acidic precursor CBDA alleviate depressive-like behaviors by restoring synaptic connectivity and upregulating neurotrophic pathways within the prefrontal cortex.” – source
7. “The antidepressant properties of CBD are strongly linked to its ability to facilitate adult neurogenesis in the hippocampus and promote structural plasticity.” – source
8. “Preclinical evidence overwhelmingly supports the therapeutic potential of CBD for mood disorders, citing safety profiles superior to conventional psychiatric medications and absence of psychotomimetic side effects.” – source
9. “Targeting neuroinflammatory cascades through CBD administration leads to reduced microglial activation and decreased pro-inflammatory cytokine expression associated with depressive states.” – source
10. “CBD represents a multi-target therapeutic candidate for major depressive disorder and anxiety, operating through complex interactions across the endocannabinoid, serotonergic, and neuroinflammatory systems.” – source

Consult with a Doctor

Before you use any CBD products make sure to consult with a Doctor. The doctor’s guidance will help you get an accurate dosage for a specific type of chronic pain.

Conclusion

Depression is difficult to deal with. Emotional Numbing, low energy, and suicidal thoughts negatively impact your mental health.

Using antidepressants for depression can help to a certain extent but may come with huge side effects. Therefore, a better and safer alternative than antidepressants is CBD.

Use CBD to manage depression naturally and more safely.

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