While you probably know that winter, darkness, and cold weather can bring on seasonal depression, you would think that the summer weather would do the opposite. And for some, it does boost their mood.
For other people, though, the nice weather is not enough — or even worse, it brings on severe depression. In fact, the sunny weather that can bring some people out of the doldrums has the opposite effect on others. Surprisingly, studies show that suicides actually peak in the spring and summer.
If you or someone you know is depressed or has hard-to-treat depression, you should learn about ketamine therapy. Here’s some information courtesy of our experts at Palo Alto Mind Body, an innovative mental wellness practice.
Ketamine is a drug that’s been used as an anesthetic during surgeries for years. In lower doses, it’s also used for pain relief after surgeries in hospital settings. But many people are familiar with ketamine as an illicit recreational drug called Special K, which is popular in dance clubs.
More recently, it’s been found to be highly effective in treating depression, although at this time, it’s usually not the first line of treatment. Ketamine therapy is generally used for and is most effective on hard-to-treat depression.
Ketamine therapy comes in many forms, including pills, sprays, injections, and intravenous infusions. At Palo Alto Mind Body, Dr. M Rameen Ghorieshi offers intravenous infusions, which have been shown to deliver the highest, most optimal results. Unlike more commonly used antidepressant medications that can take weeks to kick in, IV ketamine infusions can usually have you feeling better within 24 hours or less
Depression partly stems from the brain’s inability to use a neurotransmitter called glutamate. When ketamine is delivered through an intravenous infusion, it quickly balances glutamate levels and improves depression.
Because of ketamine’s fast-acting nature, it’s especially useful for people whose depression is exacerbated by summer weather and who find themselves with thoughts of suicide. In some cases, ketamine can help turn your mood around within a couple of hours.
Palo Alto Mind Body provides leading-edge medical, functional medicine, and psychotherapy solutions for a wide range of mental and physical health issues. This includes state-of-the-art IV ketamine infusion therapy for treatment-resistant depression, addiction, PTSD, and chronic pain.
PAMB is led by dual board-certified psychiatrist and addiction medicine specialist Dr. Ghorieshi The practice also utilizes a uniquely skilled team that includes a psychopharmacologist, acupuncturist, and functional medicine researcher. For a consultation, call us at 650-681-2900 or schedule an appointment using our online system.
