Suicidality

Ketamine Center of Connecticut

Ketamine Infusion Clinic located in Milford, CT

In 2017, Connecticut officials reported that suicide was the second leading cause of death for people between the ages of 10-34. In many cases, patients who think about or commit suicide struggle with mental health disorders that didn’t improve with standard psychiatric treatment. Gino Ang, MD, and the team at Ketamine Center of Connecticut offer relief from suicidality with ketamine infusions that rapidly produce results for many patients. To get help with suicidal thoughts, schedule an appointment today by calling our office in Milford, Connecticut.

203-701-6388

Suicidality Q & A

What is suicidality?

Suicidality, also called suicidal ideation, refers to thinking about killing yourself. Suicidal ideation ranges from experiencing a passing desire to die to creating an active plan to make it happen.

Thoughts of suicide often occur in patients with mental health problems such as major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, and substance use disorders. Suicidality is also a side effect of some types of medications, including antidepressants.

While patients with psychological disorders have a higher risk of suicide, they’re not the only people affected by suicidality. Other health problems, such as chronic pain, traumatic brain injuries, and chronic health conditions also increase a person’s risk of committing suicide.

What symptoms indicate suicidality?

Many different behaviors may signal a person is suicidal, so these are only a few examples. A person may be suicidal when they:

Talk about wanting to die or kill themselves
Say they have no reason to live
Look for a way to commit suicide
Stockpile pills or buy a gun
Talk about being a burden to others
Talk about how you’d be better off without them
Use alcohol or drugs more frequently
Show anger or talk about getting revenge
Take risks that could lead to death, like driving too fast

For most patients struggling with suicidality, death feels like the only option when they can’t cope with problems. They truly can’t think of alternative solutions, and they believe their pain won’t end.

How does ketamine treat suicidality?

Ketamine is an exceptional option for treating suicidality because it produces quick results. Standard psychiatric medications take weeks before they improve your symptoms, if they help at all. By comparison, ketamine takes effect within 24 hours of your infusion. These quick results are essential when you’re faced with suicidal ideation.

Ketamine produces rapid results by directly affecting the levels of a brain chemical called glutamate. As the medication balances glutamate levels, most patients experience a quick improvement in the symptoms caused by suicidal ideation, major depression, and bipolar depression.

What should I expect during ketamine treatment?

After you relax in a private room at the Ketamine Center of Connecticut, your anesthesiologist starts an intravenous (IV) line and delivers a low dose of ketamine through the IV and into your bloodstream.

While you should experience an improvement in symptoms with the first dose, your results may only last a week. Your provider at Ketamine Center of Connecticut may recommend six treatments over 12 days, which produces longer-lasting results.

To learn more about using ketamine to treat suicidality, schedule an appointment by calling Ketamine Center of Connecticut.

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