Lori Calabrese, MD

Tag: Ketamine Treatment for Severe Depression

Ketamine In A Pandemic: New Depression and Anxiety Can Strike Anyone

The sky grew darker as clouds morphed from white to gray, and created a solid ceiling over the city.

It had rained off and on for days, and thunderstorms had filled the night skies with a threatening latticework of lightening. In an aggressive assault on the grayness, Evie stepped back from the window and decided to turn all the lights on. The quiet in her bungalow, the gray skies, and the silence felt like a blanket that she couldn’t seem to shake off. She turned on music and tried to dance around the living room, but that didn’t last. There had to be a way to ward off this expanding gloom. She’d heard about ketamine in a pandemic, because these symptoms can strike anyone…even if they’d never had them before. Could that be what’s going on?

Dread crept up inside her, and she couldn’t understand why. Where was this coming from? She didn’t object to this isolation. It had given her the excuse to read more, which she’d salivated to do for years. She enjoyed her own company.

So where was the dread coming from?

It was as if things she normally would do as part of her routine just seemed too hard to do lately.

A heaviness grew darker and heavier in her chest..? Her stomach…? What was it?

Evie had always prided herself in her ability to snap back from disappointment, to face fearful situations and push through them. She just lived with her sleeves rolled up, ready to take on whatever life tossed her way.

Her younger brother had never been so resilient. And unfortunately, she hadn’t been very supportive. She just had never understood why he wouldn’t just shake it off. Call a friend, pitch in and help someone in need, walk in the sunshine…and get over it!

Now…she was eating her words.

Isolation and Even Social Distancing Take a Toll on Your Emotions

She strained her brain to understand what was causing this. Internet articles pointed out that being cooped up this for weeks or months was affecting people in a negative way.

But Evie liked being alone. She loved the quiet. The uninterrupted freedom to do what she enjoyed.

And these articles also talked about fear. People were afraid. Sales of guns had skyrocketed, and ammo was sold out and on back order, as people have bought up more and more.

She had to admit to herself…that THAT was scary. All sorts of people armed against unknown dangers…

But seriously. She wasn’t afraid of looters or invasions.

It seemed clear to her that it was just a matter of waiting this out.

Ketamine in a Pandemic Can Relieve Anxiety and Depression in Someone Who’s Never Had It Before

So what was wrong with her?? Why was she lying in bed and reading all day every day? Things had piled up. Her garden needed weeding. But the idea of doing it was overwhelming.

Motivation, initiative… it seemed to have drained out of some proverbial hole in her bucket.

When a knock came on her door…Evie didn’t answer it. She just stayed quiet and waited for whoever it was to go away. The same with her phone. She didn’t want to talk…not to anyone.

She remembered a few months ago, when she saw a map of the world that depicted the incidence of this COVID-19 virus in countries around the world. She was stunned to see how every country seemed to be red. The entire world!

So if she had thought she could just get out of town and wait for this to blow over, she was fooling herself. There was no escape on the planet.

Maybe that shock started this…this feeling of dread…

Large Scale Change Increases Stress

Then they closed the schools and restaurants and businesses. Then required mask wearing.

You know that feeling that “it will never happen to me”…? But this thing has happened to everyone. Everywhere.

So was the dread from feeling trapped? Evie thought about that. It might be the case with some people, but how could she feel trapped all snugged up in our home she loved doing things she enjoyed?

She didn’t know what was wrong with her or what specifically caused it. She did know that she wasn’t herself. There had to be some serious thinking about her brother and so many others who suffer from symptoms like this. Who really couldn’t shake it off, like she couldn’t now.

And she acknowledged it was a difficult place to be. That her brother had been very brave all these years to keep fighting to function when medication and therapy didn’t work for him.

She’d read enough to know that many people were being affected by these circumstances. Some, like Evie, had never felt this way before.

She promised herself she’d call a doctor to see if she could get treatment — as soon as she could scrape up the initiative to do it.

Evie’s not alone, is she?

And this is why telepsychiatry has been so vital through these months. A new flood of people who never needed psychiatric treatment before have emerged…and need treatment.

Ketamine in a Pandemic: Depression and Anxiety Can Strike Anyone in These Circumstances

Then, there are those who’ve been receiving treatment with prescriptions that now don’t seem to be working anymore. And in isolation, these people are at higher risk because they’re alone, and feeling all the things Evie feels, but often the symptoms of suicidal thoughts have been added to the mix.

Ketamine in a Pandemic for Depression and Anxiety Can Be A Lifesaver

A team of medical researchers set out to try to evaluate the psychiatric effects this global pandemic — and the restrictions that have been part of it — to better understand its impact on mental health in individuals around the world.

They published the results of their survey. One of the most remarkable outcomes was that 41% of adults showed they were more concerned about their increasing anxiety, than they were about their financial problems. That’s 2 in 5 adults.

Two out of 5 in line at the grocery store. Two out of 5 in line at the gas station.

Think about it.

Also, 2/3 said they feel like they’ve lost control of their lives. Sound familiar? And 56% say they find it difficult to manage their responsibilities amid this pandemic.

So, yes. You’re not alone. If you’ve been struggling with these things too, just recognize you’re not alone. You’re part of the “new normal.”

Except that it doesn’t feel normal.

And it doesn’t mean you should keep struggling with these feelings of uncertainty, anxiety, and depression.

Do call your doctor and talk about what you’re going through.

And…if you’ve been taking prescription medicines, and find they aren’t helping, don’t lose hope.

Reach out for ketamine treatment, which can restore your resilience in the face of all this. It can restore your initiative and motivation. Aren’t you glad that there is something that can help in times like these? Ketamine in a pandemic can bring remarkable relief for depression and anxiety that’s triggered by these restrictions.

At Innovative Psychiatry, we’re providing ketamine treatment here in our office every week. We’ve instigated safety protocols that allow us to provide you the essential treatment you need to help you get through this stressful time.

While the process of recovery from a global pandemic is more complicated and time consuming than we wish, you don’t have to live in misery. Ketamine treatment can restore your hope, your resilience, your initiative, and your confidence.

And if hopelessness has been rising up inside you, stripping away your belief that things will ever get better, that’s a symptom. It’s not reality. And ketamine treatment can relieve those thoughts, and help you get your momentum back.

We specialize in treating suicidal thoughts. In fact, we’ve done research which shows ketamine’s remarkable effectiveness with this symptom.

If you suffer from the symptoms we’re talking about, call us.

We’re here to help you find your best self again. We want you to enjoy your life and live well.

You aren’t alone. You really aren’t.

Reach out for help. Your best days could be just around the corner.

To the rejuvenation of your best self,

Lori Calabrese, M.D.

May 18, 2020
Suicidal Risk Triggered by Stressors in the Covid-19 Crisis

Russell paced back and forth by the window.

The gray, rainy morning had finally broken and sunshine peeked through the clouds as they parted. Patches of clear blue were spreading across the sky. It seemed to Russell this change in the weather should brighten his thoughts, but they didn’t. He guessed it would take something much more powerful than a weather change to alter his outlook. He thought about how dark he felt…and wondered if there was suicidal risk triggered by stressors that affected people right now.

Russell was losing his belief in living. This wasn’t the first time he’d felt such futility in the daily endurance exercise that characterized his life. He’d felt hopeless before — but with time, a new job, and better pay, he’d lightened up and everything began to make sense again.

Then, he met someone and felt like he was basically sitting on top of the world. He hoped he could keep his life working so well. The idea that joy would become commonplace for him… that would be so great.

The job was such a good fit. And he seemed to learn it quickly. His skills improved every week and every month… then he was promoted. His boss would pat him on the back…tell him to keep up the good work and all that.

He believed he had a real future in this job…and a career in the making.

Jenna came along, and maybe it’s because he was feeling so much better, or maybe it was because she was so amazing…but it was easy to talk to her, and so rewarding to listen. It wasn’t long until they were spending lots of time together.

Then, the coronavirus crisis took over the world. There was no place to escape to…it had covered the entire globe! Nowhere was safe.

Settling Into a New Normal in a Global Crisis

He was assigned to work from home. That was ok. Not great. It wasn’t easy to do as well, or be as creative, under these circumstances. But he was grateful for the paycheck. Surely this was a temporary setback.

Next thing he knew, however, the governor ordered a lockdown. HIs company laid off thousands of people. And he was included in the second round of cutbacks.

So, now he’s home, he has no job, and no way to get one. Russell made a point to watch the statistics around the world to see if the tide was turning yet. He was lonely, and he missed Jenna. Even though it helped to talk on the phone or online. There were plenty of apps to connect with her. But it wasn’t the same.

The Crisis Hits Close to Home: Fighting Panic

One day, she sent him a text. “Russell, my sister Beth tested positive for the coronavirus today. She’s self-quarantined in her apartment. I’m so worried. And my mom is beside herself.”

Russell tried to be understanding…this was terrifying. He wondered when Jenna last saw her sister. When her mother had last seen Beth. He wondered if either of them had been exposed.

This made it all seem so much more real. More threatening, to himself and everyone he cared about.

He felt horrifically helpless. So he paced. He washed his hands for good measure. Then paced more.

Darn! It’s so hard to feel useless like this!! He checked on Jenna often, and always remembered to ask about Beth’s condition.

Finally, it turned out that Beth was being transported to the hospital. She was struggling to breathe at all.

Russell felt his throat closing. He fought panic.

Jenna was devastated about her sister’s decline. She said their mom was in a heap. Neither Jenna nor her mom could be at the hospital with Beth.

Weeks were going by.

How could you stand with someone if you couldn’t be near them? How do you do it all verbally? He feared his relationship with Jenna was disintegrating like his job had. But he knew her primary concern was her sister, and he was sure worried about her, too.

Russell had never been the best communicator. In times of difficulty it was hard to find the words. He’d always made up for it with effort. Showing his support with hugs, helping out with food, etc.

He had no idea how to do that from miles away.

He feared his relationship with Jenna was disintegrating like his job had. But he knew her primary concern was her sister, and he was sure worried about her too.

And felt so helpless.

When he wasn’t talking or texting with Jenna, he was applying for jobs online. It seemed he had surely applied for hundreds of them by now. But nothing. No responses to his applications. He could only imagine the number of applicants competing for each job. He was sure it was more than ever before in his life.

Still he kept applying.

It was good to stay busy, and at the same time, it felt so futile.

Weeks turned into months, and he finally applied for unemployment. Sickening.

How could everything be so good, then take a 90-degree turn straight into the toilet??

As if it all wasn’t enough, he heard from Jenna about her sister. Beth, who’d been in the ICU on a ventilator, finally died. They had thought she was improving…thought she would come off the ventilator soon… then suddenly, she deteriorated. And died.

Russell was stunned. Speechless.

Jenna was heartbroken. Blind with grief. He tried so hard to comfort her. To listen. But there was nothing he could say to relieve her pain.

He couldn’t go to her, hold her, take her out to dinner so she could vent. And her mom was grief stricken and seemed to expect Jenna to comfort her.

He couldn’t think. It was as if the entire world was self-destructing around him. His head was spinning.

Profound Grief Causes Its Own Isolation

Jenna seemed to just be gutted…depleted…with no more to give to anyone.

She withdrew after that. She and her mom could not have a funeral for Beth. As the days went on, they both seemed more and more traumatized by the circumstances surrounding Beth’s death.

Russell became less and less vital to their grief, it seemed. If they needed his support, he didn’t know how to give it. He felt so useless. So powerless. Utterly flabbergasted that life had collapsed as it had in a couple short months.

The grief he felt for Jenna’s loss eroded his foundations. His resilience. The energy seemed to drain out of him. His hope disappeared.

He’d been in his house for 2 months, and the strain, disappointment, disillusionment, loss, confusion, and anxiety of his circumstances became worse and worse until they were unbearable.

He saw no reason to go on. He looked at the future through his dark perspective, and it looked hopeless.

Even after the lockdown was lifted, he still wouldn’t have a job, right along with millions of other people. He would be evicted from his apartment, and lose his car.

The melancholy of the past swelled until he was drowning in it. Russell just didn’t have the energy to go on. He didn’t believe he was strong enough to face any more…

He wanted to die. Every hope… every purpose… for living was gone. He couldn’t see how he could go on…

Russell’s Not Alone: So Many Fight Despair in Times Like This

The crisis created by this COVID-19 coronavirus is creating stressors and fears that go far beyond the risk of the viral illness. And as our friend Russell identified, there is no where to escape to.

Hundreds of thousands of people feel the same feelings and are thinking the same thoughts. But in each case, the situation is not necessarily as it seems.

Unfortunately, it is what seems to be true that people all too often act upon. And suicidal risk triggered by stressors in this crisis rises higher and higher.

However — and this is important — thinking about suicide is not logical thinking, even though it may seem to be at the time. Suicidal thoughts are symptoms of a disordered mind.

Suicidal Risk Triggered by Stressors in This COVID-19 Crisis

The stress of isolation, financial difficulties and strain, the uncertainties about income in the future, the emotional pressure of being separated from those you care about and who care about you, combined with a host of feelings that come out of nowhere in a time like this… can push you to the point of desperation.

And…if you’ve struggled with psychiatric symptoms in the past, these elements can put you at higher risk.

But There Are Ways to Find Relief

However, as overwhelming as circumstances appear, they’re still temporary. They will change. Life will be restored. But that can be hard to grasp if the thoughts are swirling and swirling around inside your head.

Meanwhile, you can seek support from friends and family online, see their faces and vent, laugh, and cry together.

You can reach out for counseling through telemedicine. And then consider treatment.

Again, suicidal thinking is a symptom of a disordered mind.

If you find yourself thinking those thoughts, reach out for help. The circumstances of your life are not normal right now. And people everywhere are feeling similar feelings, as well as desperation, cooped up in their homes.

Suicidal Risk Triggered by Stressors Like Grief, Financial Uncertainty, and Fears of All Kinds… Can Be Lowered With Treatment

At Innovative Psychiatry, we’re treating people every week with ketamine treatment provided with carefully planned safety protocols.

Ketamine treatment is one of the most effective treatments for severe depression, bipolar depression, PTSD, social anxiety, and suicidal thoughts we know of. It also can relieve substance abuse and alcohol abuse.

As it goes to work restoring the synapses in your brain, proliferating connections between nerve cells to explode communication through your brain, it also can restore your motivation, your creativity, and your joy.

As a result, resilience replaces listlessness, energy replaces lethargy, and hope replaces despair.

In spite of how it all seems to you right now, that reality you’re experiencing is based on temporary circumstances… In the challenges ahead, how much better to have the energy and hope you need to conquer and create a reality that fulfills you?

There is a future. And you’re in it.

You can reduce the suicidal risk triggered by stressors in your life by reaching out for ketamine treatment. If you’re experiencing some of the things Russell is, call us.

Give yourself, and those who love you, the benefit of treatment that can give you a new lease on life. You can be amazed at how the direction of your thinking transforms.

There is life beyond this COVID-19 crisis. And you’re in it …with a bright future.

To the resilience of your best self,

April 27, 2020

Tag: Ketamine Treatment for Severe Depression

Ketamine In A Pandemic: New Depression and Anxiety Can Strike Anyone

The sky grew darker as clouds morphed from white to gray, and created a solid ceiling over the city.

Dread crept up inside her, and she couldn’t understand why. Where was this coming from? She didn’t object to this isolation. It had given her the excuse to read more, which she’d salivated to do for years. She enjoyed her own company.

A heaviness grew darker and heavier in her chest..? Her stomach…? What was it?

Her younger brother had never been so resilient. And unfortunately, she hadn’t been very supportive. She just had never understood why he wouldn’t just shake it off. Call a friend, pitch in and help someone in need, walk in the sunshine…and get over it!

Isolation and Even Social Distancing Take a Toll on Your Emotions

But Evie liked being alone. She loved the quiet. The uninterrupted freedom to do what she enjoyed.

But seriously. She wasn’t afraid of looters or invasions.

Ketamine in a Pandemic Can Relieve Anxiety and Depression in Someone Who’s Never Had It Before

Motivation, initiative… it seemed to have drained out of some proverbial hole in her bucket.

She remembered a few months ago, when she saw a map of the world that depicted the incidence of this COVID-19 virus in countries around the world. She was stunned to see how every country seemed to be red. The entire world!

Large Scale Change Increases Stress

You know that feeling that “it will never happen to me”…? But this thing has happened to everyone. Everywhere.

And she acknowledged it was a difficult place to be. That her brother had been very brave all these years to keep fighting to function when medication and therapy didn’t work for him.

Ketamine in a Pandemic: Depression and Anxiety Can Strike Anyone in These Circumstances

Ketamine in a Pandemic for Depression and Anxiety Can Be A Lifesaver

Two out of 5 in line at the grocery store. Two out of 5 in line at the gas station.

So, yes. You’re not alone. If you’ve been struggling with these things too, just recognize you’re not alone. You’re part of the “new normal.”

And…if you’ve been taking prescription medicines, and find they aren’t helping, don’t lose hope.

And if hopelessness has been rising up inside you, stripping away your belief that things will ever get better, that’s a symptom. It’s not reality. And ketamine treatment can relieve those thoughts, and help you get your momentum back.

We’re here to help you find your best self again. We want you to enjoy your life and live well.

Suicidal Risk Triggered by Stressors in the Covid-19 Crisis

Russell paced back and forth by the window.

Russell was losing his belief in living. This wasn’t the first time he’d felt such futility in the daily endurance exercise that characterized his life. He’d felt hopeless before — but with time, a new job, and better pay, he’d lightened up and everything began to make sense again.

The job was such a good fit. And he seemed to learn it quickly. His skills improved every week and every month… then he was promoted. His boss would pat him on the back…tell him to keep up the good work and all that.

Jenna came along, and maybe it’s because he was feeling so much better, or maybe it was because she was so amazing…but it was easy to talk to her, and so rewarding to listen. It wasn’t long until they were spending lots of time together.

Settling Into a New Normal in a Global Crisis

The Crisis Hits Close to Home: Fighting Panic

One day, she sent him a text. “Russell, my sister Beth tested positive for the coronavirus today. She’s self-quarantined in her apartment. I’m so worried. And my mom is beside herself.”

This made it all seem so much more real. More threatening, to himself and everyone he cared about.

Russell felt his throat closing. He fought panic.

Russell had never been the best communicator. In times of difficulty it was hard to find the words. He’d always made up for it with effort. Showing his support with hugs, helping out with food, etc.

And felt so helpless.

Weeks turned into months, and he finally applied for unemployment. Sickening.

As if it all wasn’t enough, he heard from Jenna about her sister. Beth, who’d been in the ICU on a ventilator, finally died. They had thought she was improving…thought she would come off the ventilator soon… then suddenly, she deteriorated. And died.

He couldn’t go to her, hold her, take her out to dinner so she could vent. And her mom was grief stricken and seemed to expect Jenna to comfort her.

Profound Grief Causes Its Own Isolation

She withdrew after that. She and her mom could not have a funeral for Beth. As the days went on, they both seemed more and more traumatized by the circumstances surrounding Beth’s death.

The grief he felt for Jenna’s loss eroded his foundations. His resilience. The energy seemed to drain out of him. His hope disappeared.

He saw no reason to go on. He looked at the future through his dark perspective, and it looked hopeless.

Even after the lockdown was lifted, he still wouldn’t have a job, right along with millions of other people. He would be evicted from his apartment, and lose his car.

He wanted to die. Every hope… every purpose… for living was gone. He couldn’t see how he could go on…

Russell’s Not Alone: So Many Fight Despair in Times Like This

The crisis created by this COVID-19 coronavirus is creating stressors and fears that go far beyond the risk of the viral illness. And as our friend Russell identified, there is no where to escape to.

However — and this is important — thinking about suicide is not logical thinking, even though it may seem to be at the time. Suicidal thoughts are symptoms of a disordered mind.

Suicidal Risk Triggered by Stressors in This COVID-19 Crisis

And…if you’ve struggled with psychiatric symptoms in the past, these elements can put you at higher risk.

But There Are Ways to Find Relief

Meanwhile, you can seek support from friends and family online, see their faces and vent, laugh, and cry together.

Again, suicidal thinking is a symptom of a disordered mind.

Suicidal Risk Triggered by Stressors Like Grief, Financial Uncertainty, and Fears of All Kinds… Can Be Lowered With Treatment

At Innovative Psychiatry, we’re treating people every week with ketamine treatment provided with carefully planned safety protocols.

As it goes to work restoring the synapses in your brain, proliferating connections between nerve cells to explode communication through your brain, it also can restore your motivation, your creativity, and your joy.

You can reduce the suicidal risk triggered by stressors in your life by reaching out for ketamine treatment. If you’re experiencing some of the things Russell is, call us.