Depression is perhaps one of the most common mental illnesses seen across the globe. All over the world, there are currently around 264 million people suffering from depression and its symptoms.

In most mild cases, the person suffering can use self-therapies to eradicate it from their life. While, a moderate to severe level of depression can present more challenges for the person to deal with. In time, untreated, depression may lead to serious health conditions. Always consult your physician with new or worsening depression symptoms.

Ketamine infusion therapy and boosters play a significant part in assisting you to eliminate this illness from your life.

Ketamine Treatments and Long-Term Depression

Long-term depression is a form of depression in which you feel downhearted, lose interest in most, if not all, day to day activities,  and face difficulty in making basic decisions. These feelings may stay with you for years. In fact, depending on your specific condition, symptoms can range from mild, moderate, and severe levels.

It can be challenging for just any physician to treat this disorder, but ketamine infusion therapy has been proven to lessen depression symptoms considerably and quickly. It is being used not only for long-term depression, but also for anxiety, PTSD, alcohol addiction, bipolar disorder, and other mental health issues.

Results of Treatment Vary from Person to Person

Depending on the severity of long-term depression and other factors, the results of ketamine infusion therapies may differ considerably from person to person. Overall, results show that more than 80% of patients enjoy a long-term improvement in their behavior and thoughts after undergoing these therapies.

The effects of ketamine are unique to each individual. Some patients start feeling better after only one hour after the infusion while others show progress within the first few treatments. Each session generally includes 6 infusions over the period of 3 to 4 weeks.

In the majority of patients, they notice a significant improvement in symptoms after the initial set of infusions.  They then have to be monitored to make sure that they maintain their new level of wellness and keep depression symptoms at bay.

How Can You Improve Results After Receiving Initial Ketamine Infusions?

“There are certain things that you must change in life to see a significant improvement and reduction in your symptoms of long-term depression,” says Dr. John Mendiola, founder and director of MindBody Therapeutics ketamine infusion center in downtown, New York City.  “Bringing a positive change in your lifestyle plays a crucial role in making negative thoughts leave your mind and life for good.”  Dr. Mendiola added,  “If you spend more time in stressful situations you may see your old symptoms come back.  It is very important that you modify your lifestyle to support the longevity of your ketamine treatment.”

The following are some of the changes you may adapt to live a better life.

• Eat healthy foods that gives you positive energy and power.
• Learn how to recognize and avoid people that bring negativity in your life.
• Exercise regularly even if you only do it for a few minutes.
• Do not spend excessive time on social media platforms (Limit your habits to 2 hours daily).
• Meditate or do yoga to release bad thoughts from your mind and make more space for better thoughts.

It is important you take action today. These changes will allow you to transform your life while enhancing your outlook to see a brighter future ahead.

When Should You Consider a Ketamine Booster Treatment?

After giving the initial set of ketamine infusion treatments, the physician typically stops and observes the progress rate of the patient. People, after completing their initial sessions, start feeling refreshed and alive again. Then after some time, due to one reason or another, the effects of the ketamine treatment start wearing off and symptoms slowly start coming back.

If you notice that you are going back to your old ways of life again, talk to your doctor. Generally, the next treatment physicians administer are to maintain the effects of ketamine. This is called a ketamine booster treatment. In this treatment, 1 to 2 infusions are administered to reinforce the effects of your initial treatment.

The question people ask most frequently is how long they will need to continue getting these infusions. Well, there is no one-size-fits-all answer to this question. In fact, the duration of booster treatments depends on how frequently you feel depression coming back into your life. Some people may need it after one month while some may require it after several months. This treatment varies from person to person as well as condition to condition.

Every time you get a booster treatment, you will feel revived again. Most patients continue getting ketamine boosters until he or she no longer feels depressed again.

Combination Therapy and Long-Term Depression

According to the American Psychiatric Association (APA), combination treatments that involve a set of different depression therapies should be used for treating long-term depression. Based on the response patients show towards a depression therapy, different therapies such as ketamine booster, medicines, talking therapy, etc. are selected and used in a combination. This treatment is designed separately for each patient. Below are a few of these treatments used by physicians to assist with depression symptoms:

• Talking to people feels great, we have to find someone to share our thoughts with. Sometimes you may not have the right person to talk to and you need someone who is trained to hear all of your worries, thoughts, and biggest fears. A skilled therapist listens to the patients and helps them deal with their thoughts constructively.
• As discussed, ketamine boosters help in maintaining the initial ketamine treatment. You  only need to get the booster infusions when you feel down and depressed again. The booster infusion restores the effects of the ketamine treatment back to healthy effective levels.
• Other than these treatments, doctors may also recommend certain medications within the combination treatment. These medications will reinforce the effects of the above-mentioned therapies.

If you notice any symptoms of depression, or have any suicidal thoughts, visit a trained physician and seek help today.