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,

signature of Lori Calabrese, M.D.

Lori Calabrese, M.D.