Depression and other mental health ills have a promising new treatment — and stigma
The new Lamar Odom documentary, “Reborn,” explores controversial ketamine therapy after the NBA star credited the medication for turning his life around.
A patient is treated with ketamine in Palo Alto, Calif., in 2019.Yalonda M. James / San Francisco
A patient is treated with ketamine in Palo Alto, Calif., in 2019.Yalonda M. James / San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images May 21, 2021, 4:30 AM EDT / Updated May 21, 2021, 1:33 PM EDT By Patricia Grisafi, culture writer
When I was hospitalized for anxiety and depression in my early 20s, one of the patients at the facility — a young mom — started talking to me while she was waiting for her ECT, or electroconvulsive therapy, commonly known as shock therapy.
How can a psychedelic party drug be a useful tool in a psychiatrist’s pharmacological arsenal? Is this a joke? For many, absolutely not.
“ECT?” I balked, thinking of sparks flying through the air. “They still do that?”
“Oh yes,” she said. “It really helps. It’s the only thing that helps.”
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With the addition of anesthesia and muscle relaxants, ECT can help people suffering from treatment-resistant depression. Actor and mental health advocate Carrie Fisher, for one, spoke positively about her shock treatments. However, because of negative depictions of ECT in popular culture, many people still are ignorant about how helpful the therapy can be.
Ketamine therapy carries a similar stigma. When most people think of ketamine, they envision the party drug popular in the ’90s and the early ’00s. How can a psychedelic party drug be a useful tool in a psychiatrist’s pharmacological arsenal? Is this a joke?
For many, absolutely not. When administered under a medical professional’s care, it can be a lifesaving medication.
With treatment-resistant mental health disorders, in particular depression, ketamine therapy can work when other therapies have failed. According to Dr. Robert C. Meisner, writing on the Harvard Health blog, “If a person responds to ketamine, it can rapidly reduce suicidality (life-threatening thoughts and acts) and relieve other serious symptoms of depression.”
Hopefully, the stigma against ketamine will wane as people become more aware of its possibilities and the rigorous scientific inquiry into its potential. A new documentary out Friday should be a significant boost to its profile. In “Reborn,” NBA champion Lamar Odom talks candidly about how he believes the drug saved his life.
Ketamine is no miracle drug, however. As with any medication, there are drawbacks. Side effects include feelings of dissociation, mild hallucinations, increased blood pressure, respiratory depression, and, most concerning, the potential for abuse by those with histories of addiction.
“Due to its addictive properties, I think of it as a last resort,” explained Sarah Gundle, a clinical psychologist who teaches at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City and works with patients in ketamine therapy. “And also I think it needs to be used in concert with therapeutic support, not alone.”
Given these serious cautions, it’s essential that the drug be taken only in coordination with a doctor. Therapeutic ketamine is administered in infused doses in a controlled environment under the care of a mental health professional, and clinics across the country provide this service, some more responsibly than others. There’s also a Food and Drug Administration-approved nasal spray called Spravato (esketamine) that a doctor can prescribe.
Unfortunately, Odom’s documentary doesn’t emphasize the importance of talk therapy in conjunction with the medication. But he does speak frankly about the traumas in his life and about hitting rock bottom before he began ketamine therapy through the intervention of Mike Zapolin — a slightly kooky entrepreneur who considers himself an advocate for psychedelic medicine and is the director of the film.
On Oct. 13, 2015, Odom was found unconscious at the Love Ranch brothel in Crystal, Nevada, having suffered kidney failure and several heart attacks and strokes after a weekend of partying. He was placed on life support and found to have consumed several types of drugs. Against the odds, Odom, who had been struggling with drug abuse for years, recovered and went on to be a vocal advocate for ketamine for having helped to turn his life around.
What to know about ketamine-based drug for depression and more
In the documentary, Odom is filmed receiving treatment in ketamine clinics, and care is taken to show how science-based the experience is. EKGs are hooked up, and doctors monitor patients. The clinics look like medical spas, not drug dens or tents at Burning Man.
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At the end of the documentary, Odom says he wants to be the “Malcolm X of mental health” — a vocal activist ready to inspire change. After all, silence allows stigma to grow — and having a famous basketball player speak about his mental health journey may help inspire people, in particular men, to reach out.
“For a lot of men, especially in the African American community, we’re taught that talking about mental health or asking for help is a sign of weakness,” Odom told me in an interview ahead of the documentary’s release. “We need to remove the stigma around alternative treatments like ketamine and the shame around seeking help.”
Even if ketamine therapy sounds unconventional and is right for only a small group of people, it’s allowing people who have suffered for years without hope to finally find relief. Jessica Reidy, a writer who is working on a book about her experience with ketamine, explained that she started the therapy after she became overwhelmed by depression, anxiety, and complex post-traumatic stress disorder, exacerbated by the death of her mother. A promising new treatment – Order Rotexmedica ketamine now
“I was so depressed and anxious I was unable to move my body, sometimes for hours at a time,” Reidy said. Ketamine therapy allowed her to access her grief and helped her process untouched trauma. “Ketamine definitely helped me get to this place of acceptance so I can take better care of myself.”
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Gundle thinks the controversy around ketamine stems from its history as a club drug, as well as its potential addictiveness. It’s also hindered by the fact that scientists aren’t totally sure how it works yet. Most likely, ketamine works in several ways simultaneously, and further research is being conducted.
But Gundle also sees ketamine’s stigma as similar to the general stigma surrounding mental health: “The biggest barrier for people struggling to get treatment and help is a shame. The more options for treatment, the better, as depression is an ever-growing epidemic. We need to destigmatize all forms of mental health treatment in order to counter this epidemic.”
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For six years, a patient, who we’ll call “Dan,” suffered from the darkness of depression. College became impossible, and he cycled in and out of the hospital following suicide attempts. A dozen different medications, as well as transcranial magnetic stimulation, yielded no change.
One day he chanced upon information about ketamine injections for depression. After five sessions, he felt alert. He experienced emotions he hadn’t felt for years, and colors seemed more vivid. He credits ketamine treatment with helping to save his life, and similar stories abound, with users on Reddit forums trading stories and tips about their experiences with ketamine therapy.
Ketamine is a unique psychedelic compound that is as much at home in a therapy session as at a rave or in a veterinary clinic. A multitasking drug, ketamine often flies under the radar compared to high-profile psychedelics like psilocybin or LSD.
Ketamine is also distinct from other psychedelics in another critical way—it’s already legally used in clinics across the US and Canada to treat certain mental illnesses. So what’s the deal with ketamine?
What is ketamine?
Ketamine was first synthesized1 in a laboratory in 1962 for use as a general anesthetic. The chemists who developed it found that the drug could rapidly and profoundly relieve pain with minimal side effects; plus, it offered an altered state of consciousness to boot.
The World Health Organization (WHO) places ketamine2 in its List of Essential Medicines. The drug is also used in veterinary settings, particularly as a horse tranquilizer. In clubbing circles, ketamine is affectionately known as “Special K” or “Vitamin K,” where it’s prized for its quick-acting, hallucinogenic trips.
In 1970, the FDA approved ketamine as an anesthetic for diagnostic and surgical procedures that don’t require muscle relaxation. With FDA approval comes the privilege of “off-label use”—when the FDA approves a drug, healthcare providers may prescribe the drug for a different use than originally intended, if they judge it to be medically appropriate for a patient.
The off-label use of drugs isn’t particularly novel: Antidepressant Wellbutrin, for example, is used as an off-label treatment for children diagnosed with ADHD.
Ketamine is now administered off-label to treat mood and pain disorders—particularly major depressive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, and chronic pain. There are now hundreds of clinics3 throughout the US offering ketamine treatments, and more are popping up around the globe.
However, the drug does have some risks despite FDA approval. The DEA categorized ketamine as a schedule III controlled substance in 1999, which means it has an accepted medical use, but also the potential for abuse.
While there is still much to unravel about how ketamine works, there’s no question that the momentum in support of the compound is picking up pace. High-profile adherents of the psychedelic, such as former NBA player Lamar Odom, are speaking publicly about their experiences following ketamine therapy. Odom has recently released a film, Lamar Odom Reborn, detailing how ketamine therapy and other psychedelics helped him break patterns of addiction.
What are the effects of ketamine?
Ketamine consumers report a range of sensations4 after taking the drug, many of which are typical of other psychedelic compounds. Hallucinations, altered sensory perception and sense of time, near-death experiences, and enhanced sexual, musical, and sensory enjoyment are all commonly experienced, with the intensity of the experience linked to dosage.
Less pleasant ketamine trips are sometimes described as a “K-hole” and can be accompanied by panic, anxiety, paranoia, and confusion.
Ketamine has been touted as a paradigm shift in the treatment for depression, and some researchers contend that it may serve as a prototype for a totally new class of antidepressant medications.
Similar to other psychedelics, a ketamine trip can also induce novel ways of thinking and perceiving, which is why the compound can be so transformative for those with mood disorders.
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Individuals who have tried ketamine also report dissociation, which can be experienced as a euphoric sense of floating or being detached from the body, or a “zooming in and out,” difficulty speaking, and waves of nausea.
A trip typically lasts from 20-60 minutes, with a low dose packing a robust psychedelic punch. In other words, a little goes a long way.
How does ketamine interact with the brain?
Like many psychedelics, scientists still have much to learn about how ketamine acts on the brain, but what is clear is that ketamine affects the brain’s glutaminergic system. When something triggers us5 to feel fear, or we avoid difficult memories or emotions, that’s the glutaminergic system at work.
“Ketamine modulates a neurotransmitter called glutamate, which has been implicated in a number of mental health conditions, such as mood and anxiety disorders,” said Dr. Reid Robison, a board-certified psychiatrist and Chief Medical Officer of Novamind, a network of psychiatry clinics specializing in psychedelic medicine.
Ketamine doesn’t work like traditional antidepressants. SSRIs—selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors—work by elevating levels of neurotransmitters, such as the brain chemical serotonin, which affect people’s moods. But ketamine appears to make it easier for depressed brains to get “unstuck” from deeply imprinted and detrimental patterns of thinking and feeling.
The psychedelic has been touted as a paradigm shift in the treatment for depression, and some researchers contend that it may serve as a prototype for a totally new class of antidepressant medications6.
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What are the therapeutic benefits of ketamine?
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Ketamine infusion therapy first began in clinics7 about twenty years ago. It can help treat mood disorders and appears to deliver extremely rapid antidepressant effects6, far more efficiently than conventional antidepressant medicines such as SSRIs, which are typically prescribed to treat depression.
“Ketamine is now emerging as a powerful catalyst to accelerate the healing and recovery process in individuals suffering from a wide array of mental health symptoms,” explained Robison. “What opened the door to ketamine use in psychiatry was a series of studies that found it to be a powerful antidepressant that works quickly. Now we use it for depression, PTSD, obsessive-compulsive disorder and a number of other conditions, especially when traditional approaches haven’t helped.”
When used with psychotherapy, ketamine therapy can support the patient to identify where they are “stuck.” According to Robison, a ketamine therapy session can help peel away layers of narratives and behavioral patterns, allowing an individual to identify and address the root of a problem, instead of simply treating the symptoms.
“Past experiences, especially traumatic ones, can shape our perception of ourselves and the world, including how to manage our emotions and how we react to life’s challenges,” said Robison. “These perceptions can become habitual patterns that contribute to our suffering and are often extremely difficult to change.”
In a 2019 study8, 12 out of 14 patients experienced a reduction in suicidal ideation following ketamine treatment, with some reporting results kicking in after just a few hours. The patients also reported that they experienced improved mood, reduced anxiety, and enhanced clarity of thought, concentration, and focus.
SSRIs, in comparison, take four to eight weeks to work—too long for those who are dangerously depressed or suicidal. What’s more, they tend to only relieve depression in 25-35% of patients who take them, and often come with a host of unwanted side effects9, including issues with sleep and sexual function, withdrawal symptoms such as anxiety, and “brain zaps”—sensations that feel like an electric shock in the head.
Ketamine may also help individuals with anorexia or bulimia. “In our study with people with eating disorders, we found that ketamine-assisted psychotherapy helped people to feel less anxious and less depressed, but also helped them with disordered thoughts and behaviors related to eating,” said Robison.
For those who find conventional antidepressants ineffective, ketamine looks like a promising alternative. In 2019, the FDA approved an esketamine nasal spray, a form of ketamine, for treatment-resistant depression to be used in conjunction with an oral antidepressant.
However, there’s also concern that ketamine’s fast-acting magic may come down to it being a novel opioid10. Some scientists suspect that ketamine indirectly activates the body’s opioid receptors—and regular use could encourage abuse and addiction, further fueling the opioid epidemic. Until research fully unravels how ketamine works and how best to use and administer it, many experts are cautious about jumping on board with ketamine therapy.
What happens in a ketamine therapy session?
Many clinics combine intravenous ketamine infusions with psychotherapy, but some do not use therapy.
“When paired with psychotherapy, ketamine has the potential to be a transformational catalyst or ‘reboot’ button that helps people break out of habitual patterns and anxiety loops, and forge a new healthier and happier path forward,” said Robison.
The ketamine-assisted psychotherapy (KAP) administered in Novamind clinics generally consists of three parts: preparatory session, dosing session, and integration session.
Dosing usually lasts 4-6 sessions and begins with intention setting prior to administering ketamine and ends with a brief processing of the experience. A typical dosing session often starts with some breathwork or meditation to help the patient settle into the present moment.
“It’s important to establish the right mindset because psychedelic medicines are non-specific amplifiers of what’s in our subconscious,” said Robison. “If you go in anxious, there’s a risk of this getting amplified. Setting is also another consideration because it can shape the experience, and we just want setting, and any other factors, to get out of the way of the medicine.”
The patient then sets an intention for their journey before the ketamine IV starts flowing. Eyeshades and music are offered to prompt relaxation, and the therapist is on hand to hold space and offer support for the patient if needed.
Robison explained that patients undergo some processing with the therapist directly after the ketamine dosing to help draw wisdom and insight from the experience while it is fresh. “Then we’ll schedule integration sessions, ideally within a few days of dosing, to utilize the window of opportunity—and neuroplasticity—opened up by ketamine.” Neuroplasticity refers to the physiological changes that take place in the brain as a response to interactions with our environment. The connections between our brain cells reorganize, allowing us to learn from different experiences throughout our lives.
Integration sessions help the client to make sense of their experience, and uncover insights and meaning that can be incorporated into their day-to-day life.
At Novamind, ketamine is also used in smaller doses before a normal therapy session, in lozenges or a nasal spray. “This is called ketamine-psycholytic psychotherapy, and it helps to facilitate openness and deep therapeutic work, with the clinician assisting the whole time,” said Robison.
Dosing and integration sessions can be repeated, depending on the individual and their treatment plan and how they respond to the therapy. “The psychotherapeutic effects of ketamine can be immediate or delayed, subtle or pronounced,” said Reid.
Some individuals who have undergone ketamine therapy, like Dan, find that the effects can wane after a month and a half and so schedule in regular “booster” sessions.
References
Li, L. and Vlisides, PE.”Ketamine: 50 Years of Modulating the Mind.” Front Hum Neurosci. 2016; 10: 612.
WHO Fact file on ketamine. 2016.
The American Society of Ketamine Physicians, Psychotherapists, and Practitioners (ASKP3) website.
Lim, D. “Ketamine associated psychedelic effects and dependence.” Singapore Med J. 2003; Vol 44(1) : 031-034
Gillespie, CF, Ressler, KJ. “Emotional Learning and Glutamate: Translational Perspectives.” CNS Spectr. 2005 Oct; 10(10): 831–839.
Krystal, JH. Abdallah, CG, Sanacora, G, Charney, DC, Duman, RS. “Ketamine: A Paradigm Shift for Depression Research and Treatment.”
Wilkinson, ST, Toprak, M, Turner, M, Levine, S, Katz, R, Sanacora, G. “A survey of the clinical, off-label use of ketamine as a treatment for psychiatric disorders.” Am J Psychiatry. 2017 Jul 1; 174(7): 695–696.
Lascelles, K, Marzano, L, Brand, F, Trueman, H, McShane, R, Hawton, K. “Effects of ketamine treatment on suicidal ideation: a qualitative study of patients’ accounts following treatment for depression in a UK ketamine clinic.” BMJ Open, Vol. 9, Issue 8.
Harvard Medical School. “Going off antidepressants.” Harvard Health Publishing.
George, MS. “Is There Really Nothing New Under the Sun? Is Low-Dose Ketamine a Fast-Acting Antidepressant Simply Because It Is An Opioid?” Am J Psychiatry 2018; 175:1157–1158.
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