Category: Ketamine News

Leaving Our Homes for the Outside World Once More

Following the rollout of the vaccines (Pfizer, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson), the world seems to finally be returning to the “normal” that it knew prior to COVID-19. While many are elated to shed the mask requirements, social distancing, and work-from-home orders, some have found comfort in these defense tactics. Others have adopted this as their new normal, and may find it difficult to revert to old ways now that everyone is beginning to trickle out into the world again. Public spaces are seeing numbers grow as crowds slowly begin to fill the once empty sidewalks.

Agoraphobia is the fear of public places, which mental health experts believe many will face as people begin to emerge from their plague shelters.

There is a comfort that comes from working in your own home, but let’s dive into this a little more as to why that is. There are certain pleasures that stem from the ability to work from the comfort of your own couch, in clothes that fit your body just right, and the ability to seek out your pet when the stress calls for a five-minute ‘let’s-dote-on-our-furry-children’ break.

Personally, the pandemic hit hard. The mayor of my city recently lifted the mask requirement, making it so that now public establishments can no longer enforce the public to wear masks if they do not wish to. When I recently revisited the county that I grew up in, I still wore my mask because I have loved ones in my life who, while vaccinated, are immunocompromised, thus still vulnerable to the virus until their vaccine kicks in (which takes roughly two weeks from the time the vaccine has been administered to be fully effective).

One would think that returning to normal would feel safe, comforting, but instead I was a little unnerved to see so many maskless faces in such a small, enclosed area (I visited a gas station and briefly went in to pay for gas on pump three). It was a moment of realization that things had been different for an entire year, and that returning to “normal” overnight is going to be difficult for a number of people, (evidently myself included).

It can be a bizarre feeling, watching the world grow excited to return to a state of normal pre-plague, but it can also feel a bit alienating to those who found comfort in the caution.

Perhaps you are one of the individuals who are happy that the vaccine is working but upset that this means having to leave your bunker, where you’ve accumulated all of your best comforts to get you through the pandemic. It’s a fantastic example of one of those vicious cycles that pop up so often in life: we need our security blankets to get us through the pandemic, and now that the pandemic is over we need our security blanket to face the open world.

As we peek through our windows at the busy sidewalks and ‘open’ signs where maskless people are popping in and out, a shared question rests on the tongue of many home-dwellers.

When Can That Be Me?

What is Agoraphobia?

To first understand how to beat something like agoraphobia, let’s first take a look at just what the anxiety disorder consists of, which is the avoidance of places and situations that make someone feel:

• Trapped
• Scared
• Helpless
• Panicked
• Scared

What Causes Agoraphobia?

Though the exact cause of this condition is unknown, there are certain factors that contribute to the disorder, like:

• Depression (increased depression numbers post-covid)
• Other phobias (hypochondriac)
• Substance abuse problems
• Other anxiety disorders, like OCD and generalized anxiety disorder

By this point you may be wondering how people overcome this disorder, or when you’ll be able to re-enter the world of the recovering. Your process may be a bit slower than your neighbor or your friends, and that’s okay. With less severe cases the symptoms may go away with time, but for more extreme cases you may want to consider the following:

Treatment Options

Therapy:

• Psychotherapy
• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
• Exposure Therapy

Medication:

There are certain medications that can help with symptoms related to agoraphobia, but be sure to get with your doctor before self-medicating.

Lifestyle Changes:

Lifestyle choices won’t necessarily directly affect your symptoms, but eating a balanced diet, regularly exercising, and taking care of your mental health are all great ways of making sure both your body and mind are well taken care of. Everything else will follow suit over time.

Embracing The Unknown

At the end of the day, there are many reasons to stay inside, but it’s the very uncertainty that’s holding us back that should be pushing us out our front doors. For the past year we have been surviving, but now it’s time to live again.

Recognizing Something is Off

Growing up, our parents are often the ones with all the answers. You have a problem and your dad has the solution. You shed a tear and your mom is armed with tissues and your favorite foods. If you have a bad day and feel as though the world is against you, you can at least take some comfort in knowing you can call home.

But what happens when there is a shift in the dynamic? What if one or both parents develop a mental health disorder and suddenly there are cracks in the foundation? How do you cope? How can you help?

Where do you even start?

Learn the Symptoms

It’s important to first learn what mental health disorders look like so that you know how to move forward.

What Does Depression Look Like?

Depression presents itself in a multitude of ways, with symptoms most commonly looking like:

• Feeling hopeless and/or helpless. Possibly the most obvious indicator of depression. If your mom or dad was once a ray of sunshine but now lives with a lasting rain cloud over their head, then it may be worth bringing up to them.
• Loss of interest in daily activities. If your dad was once an avid fisherman or your mom was an active shopper, or vice versa, but now they prefer to lay in bed or refuse to get up from the couch, then this could be a sign that they’ve lost interest in doing things they once enjoyed.
• Appetite or weight change. It’s normal for weight to fluctuate as one ages, but if the change is dramatic and combined with other symptoms, then it may be worth reaching out and asking how they’re feeling.
• Sleep change. If he or she complains about never being able to fall asleep, or suddenly claim that they are sleeping too much, this can be an indication of something bigger happening.
• Anger or irritability. Shortness in temper can be a sign that someone is dealing with a great amount of stress, and depression can make even the most mild-tempered soul grow the sharpest tongue. Try not to let their words affect you, but also be firm in that they cannot allow their situation to affect their relationships with others. Depression is a disorder that deserves to be understood, but it is not an excuse to treat others poorly without actively trying to get better.

What Does Bipolar Disorder Look Like?

• Mood swings. This is greater than just your mother or father not getting their full eight hours and giving you some morning sass. The mood swings will be major, and likely out of character depending on where your parent defaults to on the mood scale.
• Difficulty sleeping. Bipolar disorder can disrupt the sleep schedule of even the most routine-driven retiree.
• Feeling extremely restless or impulsive. If your content, mild-mannered parent is now looking to sell the house and go travel the country while living out of a van, or suddenly wants to engage in behaviors they once found unsafe, then it may be time to seek professional help.

What Does OCD Look Like?

• The urge to arrange things in a certain way. Have you ever checked your parents’ pantry and noticed that every box perfectly lines with one another? Or that all the soup cans have their label meticulously facing outwards?
• Ritualistic behaviors such as checking the door repeatedly before going to bed or washing hands repeatedly due to fear of germs. If your dad religiously checks the door locks multiple times before bed each night, or will turn the car around if your mother can’t promise she turned off the stove (even though it hadn’t been used that morning), then this is a clear indication that he may be suffering from OCD.
• Obsessions Without Visible Compulsions. Identified by intrusive thoughts about religious, intimate, or aggressive themes. Triggers related to these themes are typically steered clear of as much as possible.
  Hoarding. Characterized through obsessive anxieties of getting rid of items or belongings that you may need one day.

What to Say to Your Parent

It’s okay if, at first, things feel a little uncomfortable. Your parent, who was once your superhero, your rock, has now proven to be just as vulnerable to the world as you are. It can be an odd sensation to view your parents as anything less than untouchable.

So long as your parents’ mental condition doesn’t resort to toxic behaviors towards you, then there will come a time that you have to look past the discomfort and be strong for them.

They’ve held your hand during your first steps, holding you steady so you wouldn’t fall. Even though one day they let go of your hand for the last time, knowing you were strong enough to stand on your own, they were always there in the moments to catch you before you could fall.

You can do the same for them.

Ask them how you can help.

Vocalize your support.

A parent will never grow tired of hearing they are loved by their children, nor will they ever let you forget that you are loved by them.

What Not to Say

That leads into some helpful advice on what not to say to someone who is suffering from poor mental health:

• “This is all in your head”
• “It could be worse”
• “Everyone goes through tough times.”
• “Why do you want to die when you have so much to live for?”
• “I can’t do anything about your situation.”
• “Just snap out of it.”
• “You should be feeling better by now.”
• “Try to look on the bright side.”

Moving Forward

Situations differ, as does one’s relationship with their parents. Some people will relate to every example listed in this article, while others won’t identify with a single one.

It’s okay if your relationship with your parents has seen hard or rocky times. If you find yourself stumbling upon this article, then it’s likely because you are looking to help, no matter what that may look like.

Whatever your situation, just know that this can be equally as scary and nerve-wracking for your mother or father as it is for you.

Remember, tread carefully; love fiercely.

Take it one step at a time.

In the late 1800s, the world was getting bigger. The advent of the railway meant that previously disconnected towns or hard-to-reach peoples were now situated upon metal pathways linking them to the rest of the world.

In the state of Texas, halfway through the laborious trek from Fort Worth to El Paso, Midway Station was soon built for this very purpose. An entire region of the state became connected to resources it could only have dreamt of decades earlier.

Many years later in modern-day Midway Station – now known as Midland, Texas – the Ketamine Clinic of West Texas carries on the legacy of their town’s namesake.

Rather than connecting people with giant metal pathways, owner Tammy Vaught and the providers at the Ketamine Clinic of West Texas seek to heal people through reconnection of important mental pathways.

Vaught is no stranger to healthcare, having earned her stripes in arduous and high-stress environments.

“So, I have been a nurse since 1998 and I’ve been a nurse anesthesiologist since 2009, so about 12 years. Most of my background was spent in a level 1 trauma center in Detroit, so I did a lot of work with mental health patients before I ever went into this realm of work.”

The decision to shift to providing ketamine treatment – at the time, an innovative but experimental option – was purely personal at first, Vaught explains.

“Why I branched out to owning the clinic stemmed from doing research for a friend suffering from chronic pain as well as treatment-resistant depression.

I was looking for options for him, for something out of the box. Ketamine came up in my research so I started researching, talking to clinicians. But when I went to look for a clinic there wasn’t one within 5 hours of us. That was going to mean he would have to spend money to travel, so I decided to open a clinic.

Honestly, my goal was to help my friend, but then it just developed into the most rewarding professional decision of my life.

My friend died by suicide within seven months of us opening the clinic, and that was the catalyst that pushed me to keep going in this direction. Three and a half years and hundreds of patients later, here we are.”

Since then, the Ketamine Clinic of West Texas has indeed gone on to serve hundreds of patients, but some experiences stand out in Vaught’s memory.

“Patients suffering from PTSD are some of my favorite people to treat because they often get great results. My very first patient battled PTSD and I’ve treated several veterans who’ve had great results.

Often for me, the most rewarding thing is when a patient’s family comes to me midway through treatment and is like, ‘I’m starting to get my wife back. I see the old “Sally” in her eyes, in the way she’s reacting to things.’

Or a mother who brings in her daughter for a booster and tells me, ‘She’s engaging in life again, she’s working again.’

Also, when a patient is on a laundry list of prescription medicines and through ketamine therapy they’re able to diminish their list of medication.”

Some people are cautious, or even downright hesitant, to try ketamine infusion therapy. Skepticism is in fact healthy, according to Vaught.

“It is responsible to always be cautious and do research. However, ketamine is known to be a very safe drug. It’s gotten a bad rap because of years of being abused, but when we utilize it under a medical professional’s care, someone who is well-studied and continues to do research to optimize their practice, I think that it’s worth giving a try.

While ketamine’s history is somewhat arduous, it doesn’t mean it’s any less valid to consider when trying to save someone’s life.

It’s changed my life. Personally, I’ve treated four of my family members. I would treat myself, my child, my husband. I would treat anyone, if they met the criteria, without hesitancy.”

Vaught’s time with ketamine infusion treatment has indeed changed her life, she explains.

“One of the things I’ve learned is that mental health disorders don’t discriminate. We’re currently treating patients that can’t afford groceries, but we’re also treating some of the wealthiest individuals in our community. There is very much an economic discrepancy, but mental health doesn’t discriminate.

I believe that it’s opened my eyes to the fact that more of us are dealing with mental health challenges than we realize.

Having patients trust me when they feel like they don’t have any more choices – that’s a lot of pressure, for someone to trust you like that, to tell you that you’re their last stop.

It’s very humbling, stressful, and rewarding to be able to walk along that journey with someone. When someone tells you that they may not be alive without the treatment you offered… it’s been very life-changing.

When I worked in the ER, I was dealing with patients on their worst day. In this line of work, I’m now dealing with people in their worst season of life. It’s not just a bad day. If they’ve come to me, they’ve been in a bad season of life for a long, long time.”

If ketamine is such a powerful source of hope for those suffering – and the research confirms it is – what is preventing it from receiving more widespread acceptance from the medical community?

“The fact that even though it’s a drug that has been around since the ‘60s, and was actively studied for mental health since the early 2000s, most insurance companies still consider it experimental.

How many years do we have to treat people with this before it’s not experimental? I know the results. I would guess millions of lives have been changed with this medication.

The fact that I am an advanced practitioner is a barrier. The fact that I didn’t have a degree in psychiatry is a barrier, but that’s why I’m back in school now.”

An essential part of the process, Vaught explained to me, was each providers’ willingness to continue to educate themselves on the ever-expanding scientific consensus.

“I’m currently due to graduate in August with my post-master’s certificate as a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner.”

As it inevitably does in most of my conversations with ketamine providers, the conversation soon shifts towards our shared grievance over the current stigma ketamine faces. Vaught sees that the biggest challenge this industry faces is the stigma.

“The stigma of the drug, because it has been abused. But you can also abuse Benadryl. Opioids are abused like crazy. I think that we, as an industry, are trying to do everything that we can. We need more task forces that are going to talk to political entities, medical entities. More clinics increasing publicity.

I try on my own personal outlets to talk about mental health in general as much as I can.”

Our conversation ended on a note of hope. Where does Vaught want to see the state of ketamine in ten years’ time?

“I want to see it covered by insurance. I want to see it used as a frontline treatment instead of a ‘once everything else has failed’ treatment.

We’re seeing complete remission with those who are trying ketamine first. If you treat a patient within a few months of the traumatic event, you can completely reverse or prevent the PTSD.

I want to see an exploration of more utilization. I want it to become a standard of care. I want all veterans to be able to get it like, yesterday.”

Time will tell how ketamine infusions progress as a treatment, but one thing is for sure: providers like the Ketamine Clinic of West Texas – ingrained with a sense of compassion and medical experience – are going to be a necessary ingredient of the journey no matter what.

Take Some Time for You This National Stress Awareness Day

We’ve all been there. Flat tire on the way to work, getting stuck in traffic, receiving word that your in-laws are coming to town… all recipes for stress.

A little stress is healthy, but if it persists and grows worse over time then it is no longer harmless to your health. Learning the difference between healthy stress and harmful stress can be difficult, and that’s what this month is all about. More than that, it’s what the day is about. April happens to be National Stress Awareness Month, but the 16th is a little special. It’s a full day of learning how to take care of yourself and mend the stressors in your life, especially following a hectic year like 2020.

What’s Significant About April 16th?

April 16th, the day after Tax Day, has been marked in calendars as National Stress Awareness Day. It’s a day for people to reflect on the stressors in their lives and see what can be done about them. It’s not something that has to be done in solidarity, either. By using hashtags like #NationalStressAwarenessMonth and #StressAwarenessMonth on social media, you can find others who are going through similar situations.

It’s all about knowing that you aren’t alone in your struggles or your worries. Oftentimes the things that plague us most are universal, and talking about them can be the first step towards finding some type of closure or coping mechanisms.

How to Observe

There are a multitude of ways that you can observe a day like National Stress Awareness Day, but it’s important to remember that the theme is about taking care of YOU. Think of it like the ultimate self-care day that’s all about putting your mental health first.

If you’re struggling for ways to pamper yourself, consider:

• Doing something fun that you’ve been putting off. If you’ve been delaying the start of a new Netflix binge-watch, procrastinating the beginning of a new hobby, or holding yourself back from treating yourself to something new, this is the day to do it.
• Get outside. Disconnect yourself from technology if social media is a stressor.
• Treating yourself to good food. Whether it’s from a restaurant or trying out a new recipe, try something new or sate an old craving.
• Calling a friend or a family member you’ve been missing. Set some time aside to catch up and laugh and find that your worries seem to subside.

Even if none of these suggestions stand out to you, set some time aside this upcoming Friday to take a step back, release the tension in your shoulders, unclench your jaw, and let out that breath you’ve been holding. The year has only just begun, and you deserve to meet it head-on with as little stress as possible holding you back.