PTSD & Ketamine - 3MT

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by Courtney Hatt16 views·Updated Mar 28, 2022
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  1. it is normal to have increased stress after experiencing
  2. or witnessing a traumatic event or series of events.
  3. However,
  4. post traumatic stress becomes a disorder when it affects your
  5. ability to function in your day to day life.
  6. Individuals diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder or PTSD
  7. experience intrusive nightmares or flashbacks related to the trauma
  8. changes in their mood and thoughts
  9. and heightened emotional and physical reactivity.
  10. PTSD affects one in 11 people in their lifetime.
  11. Despite the prevalence and severity of this disorder,
  12. there are a few medications indicated for treating PTSD
  13. and the effectiveness of these medications is not well known.
  14. Ketamine is a medication traditionally used as a sedative in hospital settings.
  15. However, at lower doses,
  16. it is said to produce a mind altering effect that can
  17. help treat individuals with a variety of mental health disorders.
  18. Ketamine is the only legal psychedelic like medication
  19. that is widely available and proven safe.
  20. This led me to research
  21. does ketamine therapy improve symptoms of
  22. post traumatic stress disorder and adults.
  23. Compared to alternative or no treatment.
  24. Current literature highlights the emergence of ketamine as
  25. an effective treatment for improving symptoms of PTSD
  26. ketamine can increase connectivity in certain emotional pathways in
  27. the brain that have been impaired due to PTSD
  28. Psychotherapy within 36 hours of ketamine administration is done to capitalize on
  29. the mind altering effects of ketamine and to encourage best therapeutic outcomes.
  30. I work in a private clinic
  31. that administers ketamine injections alongside psychotherapy
  32. sessions over several weeks to treat individuals with mental health conditions,
  33. including PTSD.
  34. Our clients are medically stable adults of any
  35. gender who are referred by their primary care provider
  36. and have trialed previous medications or therapies to treat their mental illness.
  37. Clients are highly encouraged to have one or
  38. more support persons involved in caring for them.
  39. During the treatment program,
  40. they must have an adult escort them to and
  41. from their ketamine sessions as they are considered impaired.
  42. Following ketamine administration,
  43. I created the intervention of a home care pamphlet
  44. to provide clients after their first ketamine session.
  45. The primary nurse will review with the client and their
  46. support person what to do at home after ketamine sessions,
  47. their safety plan
  48. and provide our medical on call contact number
  49. because clients may be forgetful due to the nature of PTSD.
  50. In addition to the ketamine,
  51. having a visual and easy to read physical copy.
  52. In addition to repeated verbal instructions would be a helpful reminder
  53. to evaluate if the home care instructions are helping,
  54. we can have clients repeat back there discharge
  55. instructions and reinforce this with each visit.
  56. This is known as the teach back technique.
  57. Providing home care instructions in several formats will uphold
  58. the ethical standards of our clinic and profession.
  59. While clients partake in our newly developed treatment program