New reasons not to be depressed about depression

The number of adults being treated for depression has grown significantly over the last 10 years. And many patients have struggled to find an effective therapy that helps them manage the disease.

Fortunately, medical researchers are trying to address that problem. And President Trump’s effort to ramp up research into psychedelic treatments could provide a much-needed boost.

A recent Gallup poll reports the number of U.S. adults with depression is up about 8 percentage points since 2015, to an estimated 48 million Americans. The Yale School of Medicine says that nearly one-fifth of U.S. adults will be diagnosed with major depressive disorder at some point in their lives.

Every year, depression forces millions of Americans out of the workforce, wreaks havoc on their family lives, and inflicts immense damage on the economy. Yale Medicine reports depression and other mental illnesses cost U.S. workers an estimated $333 billion in 2019 .

Depression is notoriously difficult to treat. Unlike medicines such as antibiotics and pain relievers that tend to work for the vast majority of people, many with mental illness never find a medication, or multiple medications, that work well for them. An analysis in the journal Nature found that nearly half of all patients with major depressive disorder don’t respond to at least two available antidepressants, which qualifies as “treatment-resistant depression.”

That challenge can have disastrous consequences at work and at home. A parent struggling with severe depression may find it difficult to maintain the routines children depend on, from helping with schoolwork to preparing meals. Families also face mounting financial strains due to missed workdays, increased childcare expenses, and years of ongoing medical costs tied to unsuccessful treatment attempts.

For people with persistent depression, symptoms like exhaustion, disrupted sleep, impaired concentration, and emotional distress can make it difficult to perform consistently at work or force them to take repeated or extended medical leave. As a result of multiple medical appointments, medication changes, hospitalizations, and ongoing treatment, they may incur more than twice the annual health care costs of patients without depression.

Sadly, people with the most persistent forms of depression currently have only two Food and Drug Administration-approved treatments available.

Americans facing this disease deserve the opportunity to try every scientifically supported treatment option through safe, regulated means.

The good news is physicians and medical researchers are investigating new options, and there is evidence that psychedelic substances like psilocybin could provide an effective therapy for many with treatment-resistant depression. For example, Dr. Benjamin Kelmendi, a psychiatrist at Yale, and his colleagues have initiated several clinical studies investigating how psilocybin alters the brain, leading to improved symptoms of depression.

Clinical studies are critical. The placebo effect — a perceived change in a person’s physical or mental health resulting from their belief that they are receiving medical treatment — is especially prevalent in studies on depression. Researchers need to determine if the new drugs actually work, what their proper formulation should be, and if they are safe and effective. They’re doing that now.

A Johns Hopkins randomized trial found that 71 percent of participants with treatment-resistant depression who received psilocybin experienced a clinically significant reduction in symptoms with minimal side effects and a low potential for addiction.

Ketamine and MDMA treatments have similarly helped patients who repeatedly sought — and failed to find — relief from more traditional antidepressants.

These findings warrant serious study in regulated medical settings. Some people use psychedelics and other mind-altering drugs for recreational purposes and to self-medicate, often based on anecdotal claims by non-professionals touting a substance’s curative powers. That is dangerous and should be avoided. Those with symptoms of depression or other mental conditions should see a doctor.

Clinical trials are already occurring across the country, and it’s possible that the Food and Drug Administration will soon approve new treatments to be used under professional medical care. President Trump’s recent executive order directs $50 million in federal funding to advance psychedelic treatments for mental illness, helping accelerate research and evaluation of these medicines.

The status quo is failing too many patients. In 2024, suicide claimed nearly 49,000 lives , and one estimate says that two-thirds of them were depression related. And even when depression doesn’t lead to an irreversible loss, it drains patients and their families emotionally and financially.

People living with debilitating conditions deserve every reasonable chance to find relief. It’s up to policymakers to explore every avenue, including researching and reviewing psychedelic treatments, to make that possible.

Merrill Matthews is the Texas state chair of Our Republican Legacy.