A mother can’t get out of bed, so her child plays alone most days. Her husband comes home after work and fixes dinner because the mother doesn’t have the energy. After a long day at work, neither does he, but a young child can’t cook a meal for herself. Some outsiders think she’s a bad mother. They don’t know about all of the years she’s fought to find joy and healing for her daughter’s sake. The medications, the therapies, the countless nights she has spent awake, swimming in guilt while trying to figure out how to let go of her traumas. They don’t understand the depth of the darkness that comes with depression, and how difficult it can be to escape it.
It’s also the mother and father from another family, making time in their schedules to stop by and see their teen daughter during hospital visiting hours. It’s her fourth hospital stay due to suicidal ideation. They have tried everything: countless therapies, what feels like dozens of medications, and even the most unconventional treatments, grasping at straws to improve their daughter’s life. Nothing worked. What can they do to lessen their daughter’s emotional pain?
Depression engulfs entire families.
Thankfully, there is hope. BNI Clinics is dedicated to helping individuals recover from their depression and live fulfilling lives. We are doctor-owned and operated, with psychiatrists leading our treatment teams. This enables us to use our evidence-based therapies to treat even the most severe depression and complex mental health conditions.
Of those evidence-based therapies is the ketamine treatment we offer at our Agoura Hills, California location. Ketamine is proven effective for individuals with treatment-resistant depression, and BNI Clinics uses it for both adults and the 40% of teens who remain depressed after undergoing other treatments. Ketamine therapy is a valuable tool that has the potential to save lives.
What Do We Treat With Ketamine Therapy at BNI Clinics?
BNI Clinics uses ketamine therapy to treat depression, anxiety, major depressive disorder, treatment-resistant depression, and more. We know these conditions are challenging to live with, especially when other treatments aren’t successful, and that’s why we think ketamine therapy is so valuable. It can safely and effectively provide relief and healing to people who can’t find it through other treatment modalities.
How Does Ketamine Therapy Work at BNI Clinics?
To understand how ketamine therapy works, it’s important to understand how depression impacts the brain.
There is much we’re still learning about depression and the complexities of the brain, but so far, the stress that comes with depression is thought to alter the way neurons in the brain (brain cells) communicate. They lose synapses and dendrites, which are essential in helping neurons communicate. This less effective communication causes further feelings of depression, creating a difficult cycle to break.
That’s where ketamine comes in. When administered, ketamine causes increased production of glutamate, a neurotransmitter in the brain responsible for mood regulation, cognition, and memory. This promotes regrowth of those weak connections in the brain. This can lead to a reversal of depression symptoms. Sometimes, those undergoing ketamine therapy notice a difference in their depression symptoms within hours of receiving treatment. It takes longer than that to form new synapses and dendrites in the brain, but this strengthening of the brain’s communication pathways is associated with the long-term effectiveness of ketamine treatment.
The new communication pathways in the brain can shake individuals out of depression’s dark cycle. BNI Clinics employs ketamine treatment with all of these benefits in mind.
What to Expect From BNI’s Ketamine Clinic Services: Our Treatment Approach
We offer two types of ketamine treatment at BNI Clinics: ketamine infusion therapy and esketamine, an FDA-approved nasal spray derived from ketamine. Both require close supervision during and after treatment. We will only consider ketamine therapy as part of a client’s treatment plan, not as the only treatment for their depression. This means ketamine therapy is a supplement to psychotherapy and antidepressants, not a substitute for it.
The esketamine treatment we provide is FDA-approved when used alongside a traditional antidepressant, in people whose depression hasn’t improved after many treatment attempts. Our qualified physicians will administer esketamine at our clinic, and then watch over the individual receiving treatment for two hours following the dose to ensure no adverse effects. After that, treatment includes returning to our clinic for additional doses twice a week for one to four weeks, once a week for five to nine weeks, and once every two weeks after that. The dosing frequency may be adjusted based on your unique needs, but this plan is proven effective against treatment-resistant depression.
Our other ketamine therapy option, IV infusions, lasts about 40 minutes. During this time, it is common to have a dissociative experience. These can involve hallucinations and a detachment from reality, but these experiences are not dangerous. Sometimes, clients consider these symptoms spiritual experiences and cite them as a helpful part of overcoming their depression. Dissociative symptoms tend to dissipate about 20 minutes after the IV treatment is complete. A physician will supervise any client undergoing this treatment at all times to ensure the process is safe and effective. Some clients notice a change in their depression symptoms within a few hours. Sometimes this relief dissipates quickly after one infusion, or it may last weeks. We recommend six weeks of treatment, which is the length of treatment research currently shows is most effective.
What Is Ketamine Infusion Therapy? How Did Doctors Come Up With It?
Ketamine is FDA-approved as an anesthetic. It was first used as an animal anesthetic, and then to perform surgery on soldiers in the Vietnam War. First responders would also sometimes use it to calm down those at immediate risk of suicide. Doctors discovered over time that ketamine seemed to have a significant impact on those experiencing suicidal ideation, and began to study it for this reason more closely.
Ketamine infusion therapy includes a much smaller dose of ketamine than is used for anesthesia. It is typically given as an IV injection, but sometimes through a shot in the muscle as well. It is most frequently utilized for treatment-resistant depression, but is seeing some use for anxiety, bipolar disorder, and other mental health conditions in conjunction with additional treatment.
The Promising Effects of Ketamine
While more research on ketamine is being conducted, the positive effects shown so far are hard to deny.
One example includes a study of 25 men with severe depression who were not on antidepressants receiving ketamine infusion therapy. Six doses of IV ketamine were given over two weeks, with an assessment of symptoms taking place an hour after each dose. This study found some men felt a difference in symptoms within one hour, illness generally decreased in severity after two weeks, and the effects of ketamine were sustained after a month.
Scientists and physicians are especially optimistic about the role ketamine could play in suicidality. One study found individuals experiencing suicidal ideation in emergency rooms had their symptoms substantially decrease after an hour and a half of receiving a ketamine infusion. This suggests ketamine could be a life-saving intervention for individuals in crisis that may not only calm them in the moment of crisis, but provide lasting relief from depression symptoms.
While there are some adverse effects, such as dissociative symptoms, nausea, or dizziness, they usually subside within an hour of receiving the ketamine infusion.
We know ketamine is effective, but more research is required, especially to pinpoint how long the effects of ketamine treatments last on average. So far, the results of experiments have varied in this department based on the methods of the study and the characteristics of individuals participating. While ketamine therapy is proven effective, it is still similar to other treatments in that its effectiveness varies from person to person.
Is Ketamine Therapy Right for Me?
Ketamine therapy is a viable option for individuals with treatment-resistant depression. If the following characteristics apply to you, ketamine therapy might be right for you:
- Your depression hasn’t responded successfully to multiple other forms of treatment
- You have no other medical conditions, such as liver problems, heart problems, kidney problems, substance use disorders, high blood pressure, or seizures
- You do not have schizophrenia, as more evidence is needed to make sure ketamine is safe for those with this condition
- You are not taking any medications that may interfere with ketamine
- You will continue participating in a larger treatment plan in addition to ketamine treatment, such as psychotherapy or antidepressant medication
If you don’t meet these criteria, discuss your options more thoroughly with your healthcare practitioner or psychiatrist. An assessment of your unique needs will give a better idea of the appropriate treatment for you.
Trust BNI’s Ketamine Clinic in Agoura Hills, CA for Your Treatment-Resistant Depression
If it feels like depression has overtaken your life, whether that depression is yours or a loved one’s, BNI’s ketamine clinic services may be an effective option. While it can be anxiety-inducing to participate in a new type of treatment, rest assured that BNI Clinics is operated by experts in their field. Ketamine therapy could change your life, and you will be in good hands.
BNI Clinics focuses on bringing psychiatric care to families in Agoura Hills, California, and surrounding areas. We are led by psychiatrists and well-qualified to treat those with even the most complicated mental health diagnoses. For more on what we do and how we can help your family live a life free from the weight of depression, contact us at (310) 691-5005.
