Exploring the Options of Mental Health Treatments

Flying By With Ketamine

The very first time I experienced Ketamine, I would describe it as an uplifting and enlightening experience. It was a last-ditch effort to prove to my family I could get better. Taking any drug intravenously seemed extreme to me, but it was also available via a nasal spray. In my mind, I felt the IV would be stronger and would fix me. It lifted me up out of the fog and helped me breathe again. Once more suddenly, there was light.

We are here to explore a relatively recent addition to mental health treatment, more specifically depression. It was FDA-approved as an anesthetic in the 1970s, sprint forward to 2019, when it became approved for treatment-resistant depression.

It was called the “Biggest Advance for Depression in Years” by the Washington Post and the “Ketamine Cure” by the New York Times. Ketamine has spread like wildfire, with people eager to try it.  And I lined, up among the many, in desperation to feel something, anything, other than the darkness inside me.

One of its best-selling points was its quick response to depression symptoms, unlike many other medications, many of us have tried, which take weeks or months to take effect. It also worked well among those who had difficulty getting other types of medications or treatments to work.

But how exactly does Ketamine work and help with depression? Well, as explained by the scientists at New Frontier Psychiatry, the compounds of Ketamine are considered to be what they call a “dirty drug” But only in the sense that it works on over a dozen parts of the brain, allowing it to be used for multiple purposes.

High doses of Ketamine essentially turn off the brain, and low doses have more of a psychedelic effect. Although scientists are not 100 percent sure how exactly how Ketamine helps, they do know that it affects glutamate. Glutamate is an essential salt in the body, acting as a neurotransmitter in the brain, making neurons more likely to fire. Glutamates use neurons to communicate with the brain.

Ketamine can block glutamate function or increase it, allowing the neurological function to return to normal.  Which in turn also demonstrates that Ketamine may build new synapses and neurons. And according to Scientific American, current animal models suggest ketamine first improves cognitive function and then stimulates synapse growth, a few hours later. So, what does it all mean? Basically, it helps rebuild new, improved thought patterns. Which I think we could all benefit from.

So, what does the process actually feel like, well I can tell you from personal experience that it was amazing. Within, moments the dark veil was lifted, and I felt positive, I felt blessed and happy Something I hadn’t experienced in a very long time. I had hope. And hope was few and far to come by, at that time in my life.

They first hooked me up to the IV, to which a contraption is attached, and slowly pumps ketamine into my saline solution. It takes about 15 minutes before anything takes effect. And from that point, it was almost like a dream. A beautiful fantasy played out in my mind as I listened to classical music.

I suddenly saw what I needed to do with my life and saw every wonderful thing in it. It was amazing and I experienced these treatments about once a week for 5 months, of which weren’t covered by insurance and cost $500 a pop. Talk about the neglect of proper help with mental health care.

But not everyone has that same effect, I did come in for a visit one day in a bad mood, after having nightmares all night. Almost, immediately after my injection started to kick in, I got terribly scared and paranoid. I explained to the nurse that I wasn’t ok, and she insisted on getting me the doctor who came into my room trying to reassure me. Reminding me I was there to get help with my depression and mental care. But I wasn’t having it, instead, I insisted that the doctor was trying to kill me.

From there they gave me a counterdrug to bring me down from what they called “the trip” I never had another experience like that, but the doctor and I did kid back and forth about his further plans to kill me.

What does this all mean? That there is some hope. When you are suicidal, or so engulfed in grief and pain, this drug could really help bring you out. At least, long enough for you to get other treatments and medication thriving. Overall, I feel it’s a wonderful addition and tool to help us fight depression and mental illness.

But I don’t believe it’s a long-term solution. After all, $500 a week for treatment isn’t realistic for most families. Although, I have heard that some insurance companies are starting to approve the treatment after many other drugs and treatments have been tried and failed. So, decide for yourself, if this wildfire drug is worth the penny spent, after all, true mental health and wellness should be priceless.

RESOURCES:

Ketamine for Depression: The History and Science Behind this Novel New Therapy – RYAH: IoT Device and Digital Health Solutions

McKeil

https://ryah.com/ketamine-for-depression-the-history-and-science-behind-this-novel-new-therapy

Electro-Convulsive Therapy

Warning: This may be triggering to some with suicidal tendencies, please read with caution.

Over the years I have become subject to many types of procedures and treatments for my mental health. At 15 years of age, I was hospitalized for destabilization and diagnosed with manic depression, ADD, PTSD, anxiety, and Bipolar 1. That’s when they first started me on what they call Depakote, which can typically be used for bipolar. But I had started going to therapy at age 6 (clearly my mom thought there was something wrong with me) but in the 80s there was little spoken of Bipolar or mental health in general.

I had attempted suicide and been hospitalized a handful of times since then, with 2 years ago being my most recent attempt. This one was worse than all the others, as I almost bled out to the point of needing a blood transfusion. I also caused nerve damage to both my wrists and hands.

When I woke up, I was in a room filled with doctors, who informed me of the seriousness of the situation. After I received stitches in both arms, I was transferred to the mental health treatment facility where I first heard that doctors were still performing shock therapy. I was assured that the “new age ECT (electro-convulsive therapy) would most certainly cause improvements to my severe manic episode. Along with changing my medication, of course, they wanted me to do ECT several times a week.

He had apparently been applying these procedures to several cases in the wing that I was in and had seen much improvement. All I could see were empty shells of a person, all in wheelchairs and white bathrobes. Looking wiped out and defeated. But by this point, I was desperate, I felt like I had tried everything and that my behavior had come to such extremes that this one the last-ditch effort to save my life. The doctor explained the procedure, which was much different than how they used to condone them. As he put it, they are much more “humane” than what was once done.

ECT can be traced back to the 1500s when it is thought that it was first thought to treat mental illness with convulsions. In 1938, a psychiatrist named Lucio Bini and a neurologist named Ugo Cerletti decided to use electricity to induce seizures in comatose patients. While it was thought to be known that seizures treated psychiatric conditions, there was no way of preventing the severe side effects such as bone fracture, joint dislocations, and cognitive impairment.

It wasn’t until the 1950s that ECT was looked at with scientific measures and efficacy by psychiatrist Dr. Max Wink. This was also done with a drug called succinylcholine, a muscle relaxant introduced, and used in combo with an anesthetic during the procedure. This was to both prevent injury and stop the patient from feeling ECT, which can be quite painful.

It wasn’t until the 1960s and 1970s that there started to grow a concern about the misuse and abuse of ECT treatment. Where it was thought of as more of a means of controlling overcrowded psychiatric facilities. Electro-convulsive therapy is examined as a most debatable procedure in psychiatry, but the National Institute of Mental Health and the American Psychiatric Association still advocate ECT’s therapeutic purposes in certain mental health situations. It is said to have a 60%-70% remission of depression in patients, which far exceeds most treatments out there. But relapse is also high, requiring ongoing treatment, which only does God knows what to your critical thinking and memory.

That being said, I still wanted to know what it was about ECT that helped. Did it change something in the brain? The doctor explained that you are first put to sleep, and they place an instrument in your mouth, so you don’t bite your tongue or choke. Rods are placed on either side of your head and then they electrocute you.  Sending an electric current through the brain, causing you to go into a seizure. This is thought to change the chemistry of the brain, alleviating mental illness symptoms. They allow this to prolong for around a minute or two, before stopping the current and then waking you up.

With frightening side effects such as memory loss, loss of cognitive function, muscle soreness, jaw tightness, disorientation, and memory loss. They make claims of its success and yet will only perform these procedures when all other measures such as medication and psychotherapy have failed.

From my personal experience, I remember being rolled into a separate room and being asked to countdown from 20. Maybe I imagined it, but I remember a flash of light, a sharp pain and it was over. I remember waking up in the recovery room with several other patients, dazed and confused. Scared to death, because I didn’t remember where I was, my whole body ached, and my head pounded. They gave me Vicodin for the pain. I only received a few of those treatments before I started to refuse them.

My confusion and memory loss frightened me, and I worried about what the long-term effects on my brain were. I did seem to notice a little alleviation in my depression symptoms, but certainly not enough to ever do it again. The next 3 weeks I don’t remember at all, but I have been told I stayed in a hotel avoiding all people and making no sense whatsoever.

I don’t want my own experience to deter anyone from trying ECT, as for some, the treatment seems all, but hopeful and anything, even extreme may be the answer. My experience is my own and what works for me, may not work for others and vice versa. Like any treatment, I would suggest doing your research and always getting the opinion or several opinions from licensed practitioners. Never give up, keep fighting and pushing towards finding the treatment that is healing to you.

RESOURCES:

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT)

Tests and Procedures – Tests and Procedures – Mayo Clinic

Mayo Clinic heart specialists have extensive experience in treating heart disease and perform more than 10,000 cardiac procedures and 4,000 surgeries each year, including complex and minimally invasive surgical procedures. Cardiovascular Surgery. Cardiac ablation.

https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/electroconvulsive-therapy/about/pac-20393894

History of ECT: How the ECT Procedure Developed

The history of modern electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) dates back to 1938 when Italian psychiatrist Lucio Bini and neurologist Ugo Cerletti used electricity to induce a series of seizures to successfully treat a catatonic patient. In 1939, this ECT procedure was introduced to the United States. 1 Early History of ECT

https://www.healthyplace.com/depression/ect/history-of-ect-how-the-ect-procedure-developed


Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) For Depression

https://www.verywellmind.com/ect-for-depression-and-anxiety-379903#:~:text=ECT%20works%20by%20sending%20an%20electric%20current%20through,the%20chemicals%20in%20the%20brain%20related%20to%20mood.


When Do You Try Medications?

If you have ever struggled with depression, anxiety, or any form of mental illness, the concept, and choice of medication have probably crossed your mind. Do I try it, or should I push forward without it? What side effects may it have, if any?

Too many times I have seen people continue to suffer within their own minds, instead of trying medication. With the fear of the complications, medications may have. The unknown is scary to people, and the mile-long list of possible conditions of its effects is even scarier. 

I will be honest; I have tried a long list of treatments for my own mental illness. I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder 1, manic depression, anxiety, and PTSD (and I just said that out loud) when I was just 15.  And for treatment, I tried anything from mild meditation (really, helpful, you should try it) to what seemed to erase my mind with shock therapy (did I just forget why I’m here?)  As I was saying, I have experimented with a lot of methods, and just because some worked or didn’t work for me doesn’t mean it will have the same effect on you.  I have heard; shock therapy has been quite helpful to some patients with medication stubborn, mental illnesses. I believe it is seen more as a last resort, but it does help tens of thousands of people each year.

I would suggest (always getting the opinion of your doctor) trying a milder antidepressant to start (and many help with anxiety too) such as Lexapro, Celexa, Prozac, Paxil, or Zoloft. All of these fall under the SSRI (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor) category and tend to have fewer side effects. But of course, there is always the possibility you fall into the small group that suffers these side effects.

Trying new medication is sometimes a game of roulette, you could possibly be lifted from the dark cloud that circle’s your mind. Or you could come up with all new side effects. There is always the chance, that it just doesn’t work for you, but the beautiful thing is, there is also the chance that it will.

I personally have experienced several quite unpleasant sides effects such as itching all over (that one was unpleasant in public), difficulty swallowing (yet I still gained 15 pounds), chronic migraines, profuse sweating (gross) awful nightmares, and emotional, crying outbursts (yes, every commercial made me cry…not just the Sarah Mclachlan one)

Now, this isn’t meant to discourage you, everybody is different, and that’s why I hate suggesting medications. Because the chemistry in my body is completely different than yours. Possibly causing it to react in different ways. So what medication is perfect for me, may not be for you, but my point is to try. Moving past the fear, for the first time in my life the heavy weight has been lifted from my chest and I can breathe. I can sleep, I can laugh, and I can enjoy life. Laying in bed all day doesn’t make you feel any better (I know it’s comfy) but there is a whole world out there that you’re missing.  Do your research, talk to a licensed practitioner and explore your options. Life is waiting for you, so catch up.

RESOURCES:

https://healthblog.uofmhealth.org/health-management/forget-old-movies-9-truths-about-shock-therapy-today

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