Rachel Yehuda, PhD, Professor of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, Director of the Traumatic Stress Studies Division at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine

The Effect of Trauma on the Next Generation

There has been much interest in trying to understand whether the effects of trauma are passed down to the next generation, or even subsequent generations. Recent advances in molecular biology and epigenetics have provided paradigms for understanding long term effects of stress. Epigenetic research in animals has provided models for how such effects might be transmitted and there has been great speculation regarding whether and to what extent such mechanisms can be applied towards understanding some of the enduring effects of trauma in the offspring of survivors.

This talk will focus on the consequences of parental trauma and will examine the question of whether such effects are biologically "transmitted". Most of the research has been conducted on adult children of Holocaust survivors but is supported by observations in children born to pregnant women who survived the world trade center attack on 9/11. Findings demonstrating epigenetic marks associated with parental trauma effects of PTSD will be reviewed, and discussed in the context of whether they represent generational "damage" resulting from adversity or indicate attempts to adapt to the environmental challenge to achieve resilience.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: the Challenge and Opportunity. Breakthroughs in our Understanding and Treatment of Trauma

Participants: Rick Doblin, Rachel Yehuda
Moderator: Khaliya

In the United States alone, 22 veterans commit suicide every day. Not just limited to those in active conflict zones, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) afflicts refugees, victims of sexual violence, and many others. Furthermore, epigenetic trauma, the passing of trauma and PTSD across generations, is a mental health problem in need of remedy.

Dr. Rachel Yehuda, a pioneer in understanding and treating epigenetic trauma and PTSD through her work at the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, will speak to key learnings about the nature of these issues as well as potential therapies being advanced by Rick Doblin, Founder and Executive Director of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS.) MAPS was founded in 1986 to pursue Rick’s for psychedelic-assisted therapy, a vision which is now very close to being realized with FDA Phase 3 clinical trials as Breakthrough Therapy and similar trials concurrently with the European Medical Association.

Rick will speak to the opportunities and challenges ahead in bringing psychedelic-assisted therapies through regulatory trials, and the prospect of these therapies impact PTSD, trauma, and mental health issues more broadly.

The Brave New World of the Brain: Investing in an Ecosystem. Overcoming the Stigma and Stalemate of Tackling the Mental Health Crisis

Participants: Sonia Weiss Pick, Daniel Weiss Pick, David Erritzoe, Tyler Norris
Moderator: Dick Simon

Approximately 25% of adults in the United States alone suffer from mental illness. It is estimated that severe mental illness shortens life span by 10-25 years. The yearly global direct and indirect cost of psychopathologies is estimated to be $2.5 trillion—depression is the leading cause of disability worldwide. Every one of us is impacted and we all have a role to play in solving these issues.

There has been very little innovation in the psychiatric medical space in almost three decades. New technological and regulatory developments alongside new policy and investment alliances are laying the foundation for a wholesale shift in how our global society tackles mental health issues.

Important advancements including the use of AI and machine learning algorithms, improved computing power, use of organoid research, advances in psychiatric biomarker research and the renewed scientific and regulatory openness to conduct psychedelics research are reframing the approach to treating a wide variety of problems including post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety, and substance use disorders, amongst others.

In parallel to technological and pharmaceutical innovation, a systems-change approach to mental health requires transforming care through integration and linking with community assets; shaping policy and changing incentives to increase access to quality care and creating the conditions for human flourishing in the first place.

Real change requires a joint effort from NGOs, governments, researchers, entrepreneurs, and investors as well as the individuals, families, and communities affected by this mental illness epidemic.