By Peter Loeb, CEO of Lionrock
When the Coronavirus pandemic took the world by storm in early 2020, few people had any idea of the long-term complications it would bring. Among them, we now see a new mental health crisis, including substance use disorders (SUDs), which have emerged as a challenging co-morbidity of the pandemic. According to the CDC, drug overdose deaths increased by more than 28% from 2020 to 2021, tallying more than 100,000 last year. And during that same period, a staggering 41.1 million Americans were identified as needing SUD treatment. The data clearly point to the need for more effective and accessible care, including bringing to bear the most cutting-edge treatment offerings to help fight this highly stigmatized mental health issue.
One of the more promising, new treatment methods for mood disorders is the use of psychedelic medications, including ketamine-assisted psychotherapy. Although many associate ketamine with illicit usage, it has proven to be effective in treating depression, anxiety and PTSD, when paired with psychotherapy. And more recently, ketamine has been shown to effectively treat SUDs as well. Considering that esketamine, a derivative of ketamine, is FDA-approved for treatment-resistant depression, a condition that often underlies or co-occurs with SUD, it’s not surprising that it benefits those suffering with substance abuse as well.
Given its still experimental status in terms of mainstream use, most providers do not yet offer …
Full story available on Benzinga.com