Innovative Psychiatry
We offer the following articles about suicidal thoughts to reduce the hype and stigma that seem to accompany the tragedy of suicide and those who consider it. We hope to show how changes in brain circuitry and structures lead to the torment of these thoughts, and as a result an individual can make attempts on his own life because he succumbs to those painful images and thought patterns.
Suicide is not selfish, as some claim, any more than kidney failure is selfish. It’s part of a disease process that creates a cycle the individual is trapped within.
Suicidal thoughts can accompany a variety of psychiatric disorders. In fact, they can torment people who have never been diagnosed with a disorder at all. Sometimes changes can happen slowly over time in response to a significant life event that takes the joy out of life for an individual. And that state can progress to thoughts of death.
The loss of someone near and dear, or other types of losses can also contribute. Sometimes a personal failure is behind the action.
In other cases, a person may suffer for a prolonged period of time from a diagnosis, or multiple disorders, that bring feelings of depression, despair, and despondency. When this happens, in some cases mental images of death, or thoughts of dying, or even plans for dying can begin.
Of all of those who admit to thinking about death and dying, and those who think those thoughts but don’t talk about them, there is a smaller percentage of people who actually follow through.
But that’s not to say that there aren’t far too many suicides.
And it doesn’t just happen in developed countries. Globally, 79% of suicides occur in lower and middle income countries.
And think about this: The greatest risk factor for suicide is a previous attempt.
The archaic idea that an unsuccessful suicide attempt is just a cry for attention is an idea that can eventually lead to tragedy.
Here’s the point.
Unfortunately there are far too many who end their lives. But thanks to IV ketamine treatment, that number is decreasing.
What I’ve seen in my own practice is that IV ketamine can end those thoughts in an afternoon. That buys time for the individual to safely participate in therapy and build a more solid personal infrastructure for remission.
In fact, the use of IV ketamine for suicidal thoughts can prevent trips to the ER for suicidal attempts and prevent hospitalizations, as well.
It’s for this reason I offer IV ketamine to stop suicidal thoughts and save lives. Lives of people who can go on to enjoy love, productivity, and fulfillment.
As you read these articles about suicidal thoughts, I hope they’ll broaden your perspective about how widely thoughts like this are experienced, and how important it is to stop them so your loved one can heal.
“I don’t care what the &%@!* you think!! It’s all your fault!! I’m outta here!!!” With that, Ben picked up the massive carved oak coffee table and threw it at the window. It hit the window and the wall with a thud, pushing the window frame in a contorted mangle of metal and glass out […]
Know someone who’s suicidal? Or…how about this? Do you know someone you think might be? Is there someone in your life who’s always down, irritable, short-tempered… even jumpy, maybe? Maybe you wish they’d adjust their attitude, or take a chill pill. Sometimes, people can be like this and the problem is that they might be […]
BY M. ALEXANDER OTTO REPORTING FROM APA 2019 SAN FRANCISCO – Serial ketamine infusions eliminated suicidal ideation in more than two-thirds of patients at a psychiatry office in Connecticut but at significantly higher doses than those recently approved for Janssen’s new esketamine nasal spray (Spravato). The patients were treated by Lori V. Calabrese, MD, at […]
When someone commits suicide, you’ll sometimes hear people say, “It makes no sense! She had everything to live for…” Or, “What a selfish thing to do. What about all the people who loved him? What about his kids…his wife..?” But this sort of tragedy isn’t about selfishness. To grasp what happens with your suicidal loved […]
Treatment can help anxious moms relax and enjoy their babies. Jill was so excited to be pregnant. She’d waited for 4 years after she and Joe were married to start trying. She was just elated three months later when a home pregnancy test showed those two little lines. She was pregnant! Even the slightest thought of […]
Time magazine recently offered a Special Edition on mental health… Did you see it? The article about depression treatment – and ketamine specifically – by Mandy Oaklander published in July 2017, was reprinted for this special edition. The title of the special edition is “A New Understanding”…but since the article Oaklander wrote is two years old, […]
A new study finds that a nasal spray formulated from the anesthetic ketamine is a safe, fast-acting and effective treatment for treatment-resistant depression. Researchers presented the findings this week at the annual meeting of the American Psychiatric Association. Esketamine, the intranasal formulation of ketamine, recently received FDA approval as a depression treatment when used with an oral antidepressant, based […]
Johnson & Johnson patented a form of the psychedelic with less research and a ridiculous price tag. In a popular and public move, the United States’ Federal Drug Administration recently approved intranasal esketamine, one of the components of the psychedelic ketamine, for treatment-resistant depression. The nasal spray costs nearly $900 per dose—or roughly $7,000 for the first month […]
I just returned from the American Psychiatric Association’s 2019 Conference in San Francisco. This is the 175th Anniversary of the APA, and look how far we’ve come. The theme this year was: Revitalize Psychiatry – Disrupt – Include – Engage – Innovate. and it certainly provided fodder toward those goals. It was an informative and […]
“Though I am often in the depth of misery, there is still calmness, pure harmony, and music inside me.” —Vincent Van Gogh May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and I’ve been thinking about how to disrupt the stigma of “mental illness.” It’s a term I don’t like – but it’s still used throughout the world, […]