Suicidal Ideation Treatment

Alive Health+Wellness

A New Suicidal Ideation Treatment in Wildwood, MO, Shows Promising Results in Patients

IMPORTANT: If you or someone you know is in immediate danger, call 911, or 988 (our national suicide prevention hotline), or go to the nearest emergency room.

Are you or someone you know struggling with suicidal thoughts? You are not alone. 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.

Imagine feeling a significant decrease in suicidal thoughts and an improvement in overall mood and quality of life. Recent research has shown that ketamine therapy is a promising treatment option for reducing suicidal ideation.

At Alive Health + Wellness in Wildwood, MO, our team of mental health professionals is experienced in administering ketamine therapy and can work with you to determine if it may be the right treatment for you.

Why Ketamine for Suicidal Ideation?

Ketamine is believed to be effective in treating suicidal ideation because it works differently from other antidepressants and anxiolytics (medications that treat anxiety). Unlike other antidepressants and anxiolytics, which can take several weeks, ketamine can start working within hours or even minutes. This is because ketamine acts on a different part of the brain than other antidepressants and anxiolytics, and it is thought to have a faster and more direct effect on suicidal thoughts.

In addition, ketamine effectively treats mental health conditions resistant to other treatments. It is also generally well-tolerated and has a low risk of side effects.

Overall, while more research is needed to understand the effects of ketamine on suicidal ideation fully, initial studies have shown promise and suggest that it may be an effective treatment option for people struggling with suicidal thoughts.

How Does Ketamine Help With 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.

When To Get Treatment

People need to seek treatment for suicidal ideation for several reasons. First, suicidal ideation is a serious symptom of mental health disorders, such as depression and anxiety, and should not be ignored. Suicidal thoughts can be intense and persistent, and they can interfere with a person’s ability to function at work or school and their relationships with others.

Secondly, suicidal ideation is highly treatable, and treatment can help people manage their symptoms and improve their overall mental health and well-being.

In addition, suicidal ideation is a risk factor for suicide. While not everyone who experiences suicidal thoughts will attempt suicide, it’s crucial to take suicidal ideation seriously and seek help to prevent further complications.

Finally, seeking treatment for suicidal ideation can also prevent the condition from becoming more severe or chronic. Left untreated, mental health disorders that cause suicidal ideation, such as depression or anxiety, can develop into more severe forms of the condition, which can be more challenging to treat and significantly impact a person’s life.

Take the first step in Your Healing Process

If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts, we encourage you to consider ketamine therapy as a treatment option. Don’t wait, take the first step towards healing by reaching out to us today to book a consultation and learn more about ketamine therapy for suicidal ideation in Wildwood, MO, at Alive Health + Wellness.

IMPORTANT: If you or someone you know is in immediate danger, call 911, or 988 (our national suicide prevention hotline), or go to the nearest emergency room.

woman happy after ketamine treatment for suicidal ideation by Alive Health + Wellness in St. Louis, MO

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