Suicide, COVID-19, and Ketamine

Book excerpt: Why a book about suicide, COVID-19, and Ketamine? These delicate topics are more inter-related than you might think. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that each year 800,000 people die from suicide. But have you wondered about the long-term unintended consequences of COVID-19? The deluge of mental-health problems like depression, suicide, and drug overdoses resulting from the pandemic. Depression, suicide and drug overdoses have been a problem since long before the pandemic. But COVID-19 has made the situation worse: it is more of a crisis than a pandemic. Lockdowns have fueled a litany of tragedies: suicides, drug overdoses, heightened crime, starvation, financial ruin, and much more. Adolescent and adult mental illness have skyrocketed during the crisis, and the tsunami of post-traumatic stress, depression, and suicides will follow. The mental-health consequences will persist long after the COVID-19 pandemic ends. Because of the lockdowns, we expect millions of people will die of hunger and postponed medical treatments, a potential outcome that, unfortunately, has developed less notice. The result is a "perfect storm" of suicides and drug overdose deaths. Mental-health practitioners are employing everything, including telemedicine, to help people battle this threat. Suicide is subtle, and the decision to take your own life is often impulsive. The treatment of suicide and depression is complex, with current medications taking weeks or months to work. When a loved one commits suicide, they leave many unanswered questions. Constant thoughts of "what" and "why," permeate the minds of those left behind. We do not have many effective treatments for suicide. But there is one drug that can often stop suicide in its tracks: ketamine. Few are aware that this decades-old anesthetic and party drug might save your loved one's or even your life. Our goal is to convince you ketamine is a legitimate path to treat mental disorders. Simply said, ketamine works. If your loved one was suicidal, would you suggest trying ketamine? Or use it yourself?