Suicidal Ideation Treatment
Suicidal Ideation Treatment in Philadelphia, PA
Suicide claimed 45,979 lives in 2020. Suicidal thoughts have many causes. Most often, suicidal thoughts are the result of feeling like you can’t cope when you’re faced with what seems to be an overwhelming life situation. Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States, with about one suicide occurring every eleven minutes. Depression is the most common disorder related to suicide attempts. While many treatment methods exist, most do not work for most people.
What Are The Symptoms of Suicidal Ideation?
- Mood swings
- Changing routine, including eating or sleeping patterns
- Developing personality changes or being severely anxious or agitated, particularly when experiencing some of the warning signs listed above
- Doing risky or self-destructive things, such as using drugs or driving recklessly
- Giving away belongings or getting affairs in order when there’s no other logical explanation for doing this
- Feeling trapped or hopeless about a situation
Why Ketamine for Suicidal Ideation?
Ketamine has proven effective in treating suicidal ideation and other mood disorders, including PTSD, anxiety, depression, OCD, and bipolar disorder.
Unlike many traditional medications for suicidal ideation, like SSRIs, which can take months to start working, ketamine therapy offers patients relief quickly, with some individuals reporting relief within a few hours of their first infusion session.
How Does Ketamine Treat Suicidal Ideation?
Recent evidence points to ketamine’s inhibitory effects on the NMDA receptor in the lateral habenula. The lateral habenula is a brain region primarily responsible for encoding negative rewards or anti-reward cause-and-effect relationships. Those with anxiety show an overactivity of burst firing in the lateral habenula. As a non-competitive NMDA antagonist, ketamine prevents glutamate from activating the NMDA receptor.
The inhibition of the NMDA receptor may cause a build-up of free glutamate, which then activates the AMPA receptors. When surplus glutamate activates the AMPA receptor, it releases a brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) chemical. BDNF, in interaction with the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), promotes new neural growth. This new growth may reroute the brain from hyperactive areas associated with negative reward signals, providing long-term relief from suicidal ideation.
Getting Treatment
Suicide is a terrible tragedy. If you or someone you love is in immediate danger, dial 911 or seek your nearest emergency room.
If there is no imminent threat, contact us today. We’re committed to providing the compassionate care and relief you deserve. Your life is precious. Voyage Healing is psychiatrist-run with expertly trained therapists on hand. We have extensive experience helping those with suicidal ideation find relief.
Contact us today to learn more!
