Pandemic strikes mean physical illness for many and trauma for all. The 2003 SARS outbreak led to terrifying increases in depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among caregivers, those quarantined and people affected in other ways. How can we prepare for the mental health impact of the coronavirus pandemic?

To address the inevitable spike of mental illnesses, we must hasten the approval of new evidence-based medications for depression and PTSD. These include the psychedelic compounds MDMA and psilocybin.

Twenty years of trials for psilocybin, and 10 years for MDMA, show that they outperform currently approved medications for depression and PTSD.

A recent clinical trial of veterans, firefighters, and police officers with PTSD found that after two doses of MDMA, symptoms were significantly reduced, and this effect lasted until the study ended at one year. According to a 2020 study from the Journal of Psychopharmacology, a single dose of psilocybin can make symptoms of depression significantly improve, and this benefit lasts multiple years.

Recognizing this, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recently given “breakthrough” status to MDMA and psilocybin. This means the FDA is expediting development and review of MDMA and psilocybin because they “may demonstrate substantial improvement over other therapy on a clinically significant endpoint.” Still, it could be years before final approval.

Last month, the FDA relaxed regulations in the approval process for COVID-19 therapies, because addressing the problem faster can “flatten the curve.” This means keeping the health infrastructure from being overwhelmed by new cases. Speedily addressing psychiatric issues with the best therapies available can similarly protect our healthcare system.

Because of how many years MDMA and psilocybin have been tested for safety and efficacy, there is better quality evidence for these psychedelics than the evidence that will be required to approve COVID-19 antivirals. An important difference, however, is the stigma surrounding psychedelics.

MDMA is the active ingredient in the drug Ecstasy, and psilocybin is the active molecule in “magic” mushrooms. The federal government is understandably cautious about prescribing compounds known as drugs of abuse, especially because their acute effects actually mimic mental illnesses: In the period of intoxication lasting a few hours, they cause hallucinations and make users lose touch with reality. And yet despite their destabilizing short-term effects, long-term side effects appear minimal.

The most serious risk is impaired judgment, which can be controlled when the therapies are given in a controlled clinical setting. Inciting panic attacks is also possible. There are even reports of lasting visual disturbances in habitual users. This may occur in 1 in 50,000 habitual users of psychedelics, although the exact rate is unknown.

Larger confirmatory clinical trials are underway to establish the risks and benefits with even more precision. For example, one study on MDMA is taking place in multiple sites in the US, Canada, and Israel, and is expected to be completed in 2021. As we await definitive results from these trials, let us grant temporary approval to psychedelics to protect our healthcare infrastructures and save lives.