According to UN data, nearly one billion people worldwide are affected by the mental health conditions sometimes referred to as “diseases of despair". During the pandemic, about four in every 10 US adults reported feeling anxiety or depression, an increase over the one in 10 adults who reported these symptoms in 2019. There is high demand for innovative, comprehensive treatments and medications that could alleviate many mental health conditions in the broad-spectrum impacting society. The mental-health treatments and medications currently available do not match the growing demand. Experts on this panel will describe opportunities for innovative care to reclaim the enjoyable quality of life that so many have lost due to the impact of mental health conditions. There is hope for new drug therapies, and a need for more expansive thinking about approaches to treatment.