This month, as we celebrate Veterans Day and honor those who have bravely served in our nation’s armed forces, my hope is that people will not just appreciate the holiday as a day off from work or a day of remembrance, but really consider the responsibility we have to take care of our veterans when they return home – especially after combat deployment.
When veterans come home, they may have trouble concentrating, decompressing from combat stress, suffer from depression, relive traumatic events via flashbacks or have thoughts of death or suicide. They also may use drugs, drink too much, or have trouble sleeping. For many veterans, these thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are temporary and dissipate as they readjust to civilian life. However, for others, their challenges are ongoing, life-threatening and extremely resistant to traditional counseling and pharmaceutical therapies.
As a retired Colonel of the U.S. Air Force, the issue of veteran suicide is very important to me. I have seen too many veterans return from duty and struggle with significant mental health challenges. I have also known veterans whose feelings of hopelessness led them to take extreme risks for adrenaline rushes, or to even take their life.
Tragically, recent data show that an estimated 22 to 44 veterans a day are lost to suicide, overdose or other forms of self-harm. Veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress or depression face a particularly heightened risk of taking their own lives.
There is no denying that the U.S. is facing a veteran mental health crisis. These individuals who come back home and struggle to readjust are the same individuals who answered a call to serve and left their families and loved ones in defense of the freedoms we all enjoy. This mental health crisis requires everyone to do more, and in the legislature it requires a bipartisan solution with lawmakers exploring all options. Our veterans deserve nothing less.
I have researched the issue in great depth, and so have several of my legislative colleagues from both sides of the political aisle. Through our individual and shared research, one thing is clear. New treatments for drug-resistant depression and post-traumatic stress are needed.
Promising research has emerged about the effectiveness of psilocybin, or psychedelic mushrooms, in difficult-to-treat cases. In fact, the Federal Drug Administration has awarded a “Breakthrough Therapies” designation to psilocybin therapies for use in specific circumstances. This designation is only granted to investigational drugs that show they may be substantially more effective than traditional treatments for serious health conditions. Last year I joined a group of my Senate colleagues in sponsoring Senate Bill 3695, which would expand research and create a panel that would make recommendations regarding the medicinal-only use of psilocybin in a clinical setting for those suffering from drug-resistant forms of depression and post-traumatic stress. My co-sponsorship of this bill was contingent upon medicinal-only use of this drug.
The use of psilocybin in drug-resistant cases of depression and post-traumatic stress is undoubtedly a controversial issue, and a great deal of public education will be necessary as we continue to push for this significant change for medicinal use of this controlled substance.
However, 44 veteran suicides per day is 44 too many. We must continue to explore every option, and psilocybin use in a controlled clinical setting with licensed professionals present is a treatment option worth further exploration.
If you or someone you know is in crisis, contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988 or visiting 988lifeline.org.
State Sen. Craig Wilcox lives in McHenry and is the state senator for the 32nd Senate District. He is also a retired U.S. Air Force colonel.