Teens today have perhaps never been under so much pressure. Thanks to social media their whole lives seem to be under scrutiny, and their parents may have shared so much that their life history is available to anyone. In addition, they have to cope with uncertainties over jobs, gun safety and climate change.
Is it any wonder that teen anxiety, depression and suicide is on the rise in the United States? As many as seven out of ten teenagers in the country report that they are having issues with their mental health, and teen suicides – especially among girls – are rising at an alarming rate.Traditional Treatments for Depression are not Always Effective for Everyone
Treatments for teen depression usually include counseling and ‘traditional’ anti-depressants, but a new treatment involving ketamine is showing some very promising results. Research has shown that ketamine, which has been used as an anesthetic since the late 1960s, has even helped people who have been shown to be resistant to normal anti-depressant medications.
The FDA has even gone as far as approving Spravato as a treatment for depression. Spravato is a derivative of ketamine that is administered as a nasal spray. It can, though, only be used as a part of a medical supervision program. Both teenagers and adults have responded favorably to this new treatment.
“This is a game-changer,” Dr John Krystal, a chief psychiatrist at Yale Medicine and a pioneering ketamine researcher, said. “With most medications, like valium, the anti-anxiety effect you get only lasts when it is in your system. When the valium goes away, you can get rebound anxiety. When you take ketamine, it triggers reactions in your cortex that enable brain connections to regrow.”
The Success of Ketamine Trials so far has Given Renewed Optimism for the Fight Against Teen Depression
This success has brought new optimism that the current surge in teen depression can be abated. In one trial, conducted by Yale, teenagers who reported that they had reached the point where they were ready to end their own lives became ‘bright’ and ‘hopeful’ after attending supervised ketamine infusion sessions. Dramatic improvements were seen in as little as 24 hours.
If you would like to learn more about ketamine and its possible usage to treat depression and chronic pain, then please contact us at the Ketamine Institute of Michigan. We can be reached by phone at (855) 538-2646 (855-KETAMINE), or you can contact us using the online contact form that’s available on our website.