Ketamine Therapy Gains Traction โคas Option for Teen Depression, but Risks andโ Costs Remain High
WASHINGTON – Facing a surge inโฃ youth mental health crises, some families are turning to off-label ketamine therapy despite limited insurance coverage, safety โคconcerns, and a growing black market for the drug. โฃThe treatment,traditionally used as an anesthetic,hasโ shown promise in alleviating severe depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder,but experts caution it’s not a cure-all and carries potential risks,especially forโ adolescents.
lucy, โa teenager struggling with debilitating depression and OCD, began ketamine therapy in April 2023,โ alongside talk therapy and antidepressants, with her mother, Jacintha. While Lucy has experienced some betterment, her mother acknowledges โฃthe therapy hasn’t โคbeen a “cannonball” solution. “It’s still prevalent today, sometimes depending on my stress and myโ mood. โBut I think the biggest reason why my OCD got more manageable is as my depression was more manageable,” โคLucy โsaid.
Ketamine’s effectiveness stems from its rapid impact on brain receptors, offeringโ relief for โคindividuals resistantโข to traditionalโ treatments. Though,the therapy is not without its drawbacks. Insurance rarely covers the treatment, leavingโข patientsโ to shoulder costs of hundreds of dollars per โขsession.
Concerns are mounting over theโ increasing accessibility of ketamine outside of regulated clinical settings. According to the Drug Enforcement Administration, most ketamine distributed in the United States is done so illegally. Dr. John Krystal, a Yale psychiatrist, warns that improper administration of the drug is aโ significant risk. “Adolescents โare at greaterโฃ risk for addiction problems, โขand so the concerns that I raise โaboutโฃ people having access to ketamine at homeโ are even heightened for adolescents,” Krystal said.
Jacintha expressed initial worries about potentially introducing a euphoricโฃ experience that Lucy might seek โelsewhere. “Am I inadvertently introducing her to a euphoric feeling that she may want to continue pursuing โขin other ways?” she questioned. “If she no longer has access to ketamine, but she still wants to go back to the โfeeling that ketamine gaveโ her, will โขthat lead her into other typesโ of drug abuse?”
Lucy has as undergoneโข four maintenance sessions, spaced six months apart,โ in conjunctionโข with ongoing therapy and medication. Despite the potential benefits, โJacintha emphasizes theโฃ desperationโ thatโค led them to consider the treatment. “When you have a childโ that โฃis inโ suchโ acuteโฃ mental anguish, and you see them drowning every day, you cling to hope, that’s all you have,” she said.
