AI, Kathryn Burgum: Using electrochemical psychiatry against addictions, homelessness at SAMHSA?

By David Stephen

In the brain, there are ion channels, synaptic vesicles opened at the cleft, there are also receptors. If certain ion channels are inhibited or induced, there would be functional or experiential affect. If receptors are blocked because some other molecule binds there first, or somehow vesicles are impeded, there will also be experiential or functional affect.

Simply, electrical signals [derivative of ions] and chemical signals [mostly neurotransmitters] pass through channels. If somehow, they become more or less, due to inducing or inhibition of the channels or receptors, then alterations in outcomes could become evident.

SAMHSA using electrochemical psychiatry against addictions, homelessness?

This is a major part of the story of addictions, mental disorders and so forth. This means that in trying, at a foundational level, to explain mental disorders, addictions and so on, the goal is to postulate aggressively on electrical and chemical signals.

Simply, if influencing electrical and chemical signals result in changes in experience, then electrical and chemical signals must be key configurators for functions — or say it is the assembly of electrical and chemical signals, in certain ways that decide functions, hence experiences.

There should be no greater priority for mental health advances — for the HHS, the HHS Secretary, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., the White House Senior Advisor for Addiction Recovery Kathryn Burgum, SAMHSA Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Christopher D. Carroll, the National Institute of Mental Health [NIMH] and the Acting Director of the NIMH, Andrea Beckel-Mitchener — than drilling aggressively into explaining the brain by electrical and chemical signals, to measure the mind for mental disorders and addictions.

For example, mental health, conceptually, is defined as the zone — within certain averages, per moment of the collection of all the electrical and chemical signals, with their interactions and attributes, in sets, in clusters of neurons, across the central and peripheral nervous systems — with a functional balance of mind and experiences, for social and occupational objectives.

Attributes have measures — within sets and overall — that can be used to place stages of risks and prepare more tailored therapies.

There is a recent [June 11, 2026] announcement SAMHSA Announces $40 Million in Funding Opportunities to Prevent Addiction, and Address Child Trauma, Suicide, Mental Illness, stating that, “The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), a division within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), today announced $40 million in funding opportunities for eight grant programs that will advance President Trump’s Great American Recovery Initiative by preventing addiction, strengthening the behavioral health workforce, and supporting efforts to address mental illness and prevent suicide.”

“The opportunities announced today support communities addressing trauma, mental illness, substance use prevention, addiction treatment, and strengthening the behavioral health workforce”

“$9.2 million for Behavioral Health and Community Safety Partnerships Grants.”

“$9 million for the Tribal Behavioral Health Substance Use Prevention program.”

“$8 million for the Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) program.”

“$8 million for the National Center for Child Traumatic Stress – Category I”

“$1.9 million for the Adult Suicide Prevention program.”

“$1.9 million for the Center of Excellence for Eating Disorders.”

“$1.8 million for the Statewide Consumer Network Program.”

“$600,000 for the Providers Clinical Support System – Universities (PCSS-U) program.”

ARPA-H

There was a recent [Apr 21, 2026] announcement, ARPA-H announces first research teams for $139 million initiative to transform behavioral health and bring new, more precise and effective treatments to Americans, stating that, “EVIDENT solicited proposals through four technical areas (TAs) designed to answer four core questions that the field currently cannot reliably answer.”

“What should we use for objective measurement? (TA1)”

“What is happening during treatment? (TA2)”

“Who will respond to what treatment? (TA3)”

“What is our shared data foundation? (TA4)”

Among those selected, there was no team that was studying electrical and chemical signals, as the basis of functions. Electrical and chemical signals cover, for the most part, TA1 and TA2.

How does depression work? What can be done to ease or solve it, in the brain? This question and even the conditions in The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, Text Revision [DSM-5-TR] are at least connected directly with electrical and chemical signals.

HHS

Even where the side-effects or withdrawal effects of psychoactive medications are perplexing, where to look to at least get answers beyond labels are electrical and chemical signals.

This can be a collective department wide effort for the HHS, towards major results before the end of July, 2026. The Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health [ARPA-H] and the ARPA-H Director Alicia Jackson can also explore to move forward on this, as well.

Psychiatry is mature enough to move beyond labels and descriptions. Also, what can someone who has an addiction understand about what goes on in the brain, to at least be able to mass more willpower, seek alternatives or step away from triggers? Addictions include problem gambling and much else.

Solving Homelessness

There is a new [June 17, 2026] announcement, Secretary Kennedy Announces Over $700 Million in New Funding to Address Mental Illness, Addiction, Homelessness, stating that, “U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. today announced the posting of a $96 million funding opportunity for the Safety Through Recovery, Engagement, and Evidence-based Treatment and Support (STREETS) program, along with $612 million in funding opportunities for additional behavioral health programs. These announcements, which drive forward President Trump’s Great American Recovery Initiative, were made during a press conference following the Secretary’s visit to the Easterseals MORC Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC).”

There are a few central necessities to reduce the magnitude of being unhoused: where to sleep at night, where to go or pass the day, where to maintain basic hygiene, where to keep larger bags or possessions and a fair mental health. How can these be provided at scale, starting from a city or a state, to the rest of the United States?

In a community, many of these can be offered by different facilities, in a way to ensure a normal return to society, for individuals. Also, how does the lack of one of the above, result — for some — in devolving into addiction, or the interest to crash and burn?

It is possible to prospect the mental health part and the addiction one, with intense mind displays predicated in electrochemical psychiatry.

There is already an extensive explanation in Conceptual Biomarkers and Theoretical Biological Factors for Psychiatric and Intelligence Nosology.

David Stephen does research in conceptual brain science and served as a visiting scholar in medical entomology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He did computer vision research at Rovira i Virgili University in Tarragona.

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