What to Expect during Ketamine Treatments for Mental Illness
Many people suffer from various mental illnesses that affect their lives in more ways than one. Luckily, many forms of treatment can help these people address their mental issues, such as ketamine treatment.
Ketamine treatment is precisely what it sounds like: using ketamine to treat various mental health issues. It involves ingesting or injecting ketamine into the body to create a non ordinary state of consciousness and allow for a perspective shift, which can contribute to a shift in the patient’s mood and/or behavior. Ketamine has a well established safety profile and has been used in western medicine for nearly 60 years. It is proving to be a very effective alternative treatment for those who dont respond to traditional treatments, such as antidepressants. However, many people have reservations about getting it, which is why we're here.
This article will discuss everything there is to know about ketamine therapy and how it can help people with mental illness. Read on below to get started.
How Ketamine Improves Mental Health
Ketamine was originally created as an anesthetic that can be used during surgeries and other medical operations. It’s doesn’t suppress the body’s drive to breathe and can be utilized safely in adults and children for anesthesia and pain. This was the traditional use for many years. In more recent years, there has been the discovery that ketamine helps improve mood rapidly and research has shown benefits with treatment resistent depression, sucidal ideations, OCD, anxiety and more.
What Conditions Can Be Treated with Ketamine Therapy?
There are are a number of conditions that we believe ketamine can help provide healing and relief. Four common conditions include:
Major Depressive Disorder
Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a severe condition that affects the patient's mental health, and it can often be treated with antidepressants. However, many types of antidepressant drugs are addictive, and they can also have severe side effects.
Ketamine is entirely safe, and it's able to help the patient calm down and feel more comfortable. It also helps with the patient's social anxiety, and it can also help the patient process their emotions better. This helps them feel as though they're in a better place.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
This disorder is caused by a traumatic experience and can cause the patient to stay in a stressful state for a long time. For example, if a person is in an accident and experiences a lot of stress and fear, they could develop PTSD.
Ketamine can help with PTSD because it allows the person to experience a stressful situation without feeling too much anxiety. It also helps them feel less afraid of their emotions and helps them process them better, making the patient feel more comfortable with their feelings.
Suicidal Ideation
Suicidal ideation is when a person feels suicidal thoughts for a long time, and it can be treated with ketamine. During a ketamine treatment session, a patient can experience a sense of euphoria that can help them feel better about their thoughts.
Anxiety
Ketamine can be used to help alleviate anxiety and fears in many people. This may require utilizing the ketamine in lower doses or different methods of administration. Ketamine provides a shift in perspective to make less bothersome or worrisome. People do not have the same fear and anxiety over things in everyday life that they had before the ketamine treatment. It can create a sense of calm, peace, and knowing that everything is the way that it should be and they will be ok no matter what.
What to Expect During Ketamine Treatment
Ketamine treatment can be a bit of a process, but the treatment itself is entirely painless most of the time. A doctor will administer ketamine into the patient's body during the session through an injection into the muscle, and the ketamine will be absorbed through the bloodstream. The doctor will often stay with you throughout the session, and they can provide you with a sense of peace and comfort until it ends.
Conclusion
If you're looking for an alternative treatment that won't cause you to feel nauseous, take a lot of pills, or cause you to become addicted, then ketamine is the option for you. With the help of a good doctor, you can be cured of your illness and start living your life the way you always wanted to again.
Stephanie Lyn Coleman provides ketamine therapy in Utah. She is an experienced provider of ketamine treatment can help you address your mental health to ensure that you can be your best self. Contact us today for a consultation!