Depression can occur at any age, from childhood to late life, and if left untreated, it can be fatal. Often times, people may experience a lack of motivation, low energy, and a depressed or overall low mood. As depression worsens, individuals may experience physical symptoms, such as gastrointestinal and autonomic disorders in addition to the mental symptoms that they were already facing. Their brains may experience shrinkage, inflammation, and oxygen restrictions, while the structures and connections in their brains are altered and damaged. Chemically, depression causes a decrease in neurotransmitter formation, synapse, and release, while also causing a decline in the overall neurotransmitter survival.
Depression is the number one leading cause of disability in the United States among individuals ages 15-44. Additionally, depression ranks within the top 3 work related issues, costing billions of dollars in loss of earnings nationally. It is widespread and debilitating and many treatment options are difficult for patients to commit to because of the potential side effects. Typically, patients are given the option of antidepressants or treatment as severe as electro-shock therapy. With these treatments, improvement is generally met with discomfort as a result of the side effects, which don’t normally go away for quite some time.
Pain is derived from the Latin word "poena" meaning "penalty" and despite how terribly it makes us feel, it does serve a purpose. Pain is actually our bodies way of keeping us alive. Qe experience pain as a means of survival and protecting ourselves from danger. Our nervous system is responsible for our interpretation of pain via nociceptors, (also known as our body's pain receptors) and when we encounter painful stimuli, the nociceptors fire off a response and an impulse is sent from the nerve that was stimulated, up the spinal cord, and to our brain. Once the pain signal reaches our brain, it is sent to the thalamus for further interpretation. After the signal reaches the thalamus, it travels to the limbic system and results in an emotional response associated with that stimulus. As the signal is being sent throughout the brain and interpreted, we feel pain.
Acute pain can range from mild to severe pain and may last from a few moments to a few weeks. Acute pain may worsen and become chronic when the pain lasts longer than three months and exceeds the length of time that would be required for normal tissue healing. When suffering from chronic pain, the nociceptors are firing off continuously after being damaged by illness and/or injury. Unfortunately, chronic pain is a widespread issue affecting 20% of Americans nationally, and of that large population, only 30-40% of people with chronic pain report adequate pain management. Opioids are frequently prescribed to manage chronic pain, which has resulted in opioid overuse, abuse, and dependence.
There is a strong link between chronic pain and depression, so it is important that individuals seek treatment to prevent further progression of both issues. Mental health is a serious and relevant issue prevalent in today’s society - 1 in 5 Americans will be affected by mental illness at some point in their lifetime. With advances in healthcare, research, and technology, Ketamine therapy has become another option for those seeking treatment for such debilitating ailments, and it is an effective substitute that will show signs of improvement relatively quickly. Ketamine therapy is being used as a mood stabilizer to treat depression and a variety of mood disorders, such as, but not limited to:
while also treating pain associated with conditions like:
