Ketamine-assisted Psychotherapy: Legit Treatment or Medical Fad?

Ketamine-assisted psychotherapy has become a popular topic in the world of mental health. Many people wonder if it is a legitimate treatment or just a mental health fad that will disappear when the next hot treatment method starts making waves. This article is going to break down what exactly ketamine is, its specific uses in therapy, and if it is something that you should seek out for yourself.

Ketamine or Special K?

Ketamine was first developed as an alternative form of anesthesia. It is a derivative of phencyclidine (PCP) and proved to be a less risky than anesthesia which made it applicable in less extreme medical situations. The first human trials in 1964 classified it as a “dissociative anesthetic” which means that the individual was still conscious but not mentally connected to their body. This made it practical in surgeries where anesthesia might be overdoing it or where a quick acting pain solution was needed for the patient.

A couple decades later, it was used in the Vietnam War by field medics because of its fast-acting properties and the patient’s ability to remain conscious. While there is no saying for sure, it likely helped save countless American lives during the war. However, this also contributed to the later problems found in the using the drug, addiction.

Ketamine, or “Special K” became a popular party drug in the 90s because of its dissociative and hallucinogenic effects. Whereas in a medical context, the dosage can be monitored to contribute to medical success, recreational users can take a larger dose to get high. Despite the potential for abuse, it still proved to be a valuable medical drug.

Around the turn of the century, clinical trials for ketamine usage in a mental health context began and it was found to help with treatment-resistant depression. Additional studies revealed its legitimacy as a mental health tool for bipolar depression, acute suicidal ideation and major depressive disorder. This has resulted in a cascade of research which continues today. Keep in mind that all of these benefits come from the use of ketamine-assisted psychotherapy. You can’t just take the drug and expect it to cure your depression.

So why is that?

Ketamine is different from traditional depression medication because it is a NMDA receptor antagonism rather than an SSRI or SNRI. That is a lot of medical jargon to say that it doesn’t address depression in the way traditional depression medication addresses depression. Standard depression medication seeks to limit the neurological consumption of serotonin, the chemical responsible for feeling content with life, which results in feeling happier and more content. This has a variety of side effects, but for people who may be suffering from lower-than-normal levels of serotonin, it can be a god send. Ketamine does something different in that it improves neuroplasticity, which is what allows our brain to restructure itself based on our environment. When paired with therapy, the individual and their therapist are able to work through the issues which might be causing the brain to limit serotonin production such as PTSD.

Is Ketamine Therapy Right for You?

First and foremost, talk with your doctor before you seek out ketamine-assisted psychotherapy and absolutely do not get ketamine from a friend with the intent of achieving therapeutic outcomes on your own.

Now that we’ve addressed that, the truth is it depends on your situation. For someone who has had a lot of difficulty making progress using traditional therapeutic interventions, ketamine-assisted psychotherapy can prove to be useful. An example of this might be someone who has childhood trauma that happened when they were so young that they don’t fully remember the experience, so that can’t properly address it in talk therapy. Additionally, someone who has been diagnosed to have treatment-resistant depression might benefit from this intervention method for the simple fact that they have run out of options to improve their mental health.

People who should be cautious of ketamine-assisted psychotherapy would be anyone who has a history of substance abuse. Ketamine is used recreationally, but even in a medical context, there are dissociative effects which might be enticing to someone who is prone to abusing substances. There is a growing body of evidence that suggests it could be good for treating substance abuse, but until there is more concrete evidence on it, ex-addicts should approach with caution.

It should also not be looked to as the first option for someone who is suffering from depression. There is a lot that is still unknown about ketamine in a mental health context. It can be exciting to be on the forefront of a new and potentially transformative intervention method, but it is still essentially experimental for mental health treatment. There is not a lot of knowledge on the long-term effects, and it is something which can be abused. Effective treatment requires clinical supervision and expertise on the subject.