Ketamine Treatment for Depression in Los Altos, CA

It is tough to pin down the number one cause of depression! The reality is that there is not one single cause of depression, but rather a myriad of different reasons or triggers. Sometimes there is no apparent cause. That said, depression can often appear in an individual if they have suffered severe or multiple head traumas or any past abuse, whether emotional or physical. If a person has experienced an upsetting or tragic life event, such as grief, divorce, job loss, or relationship difficulties, depression can sometimes ensue. Depression is also linked to genetics, the postpartum period after giving birth, and substance abuse.

Given the vast array of different causes or triggers of depression, there is also a wide array of people who can be classified as high-risk for experiencing depression at some point in their life. You may be at higher risk of depression if you have experienced or are experiencing any of the following:

• Family history of depression
• Recently given birth (known as postpartum depression)
• Alcohol or drug abuse
• Marital problems
• Loss of a loved one
• Head injuries
• Sleep problems (i.e., insomnia, sleep apnea, or night terrors)
• Chronic pain
• Loneliness
• Unhealthy diet
• Lack of exercise
• Menopause
• Thyroid problems
• Childhood trauma, abuse, or neglect
• Poverty

If you experience depression, that is nothing to feel ashamed about. What is important is that you seek help in whatever way is most beneficial to you.

The standard treatment of depression is through antidepressants known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), which are based on the chemical imbalance theory of depression. According to this theory, depression is caused by an insufficient amount of chemicals in the brain, like serotonin or dopamine. To rectify this, psychiatrists often prescribe SSRIs, such as Zoloft or Prozac, to increase serotonin and dopamine levels in the brain.

In contrast to SSRIs, ketamine infusion therapy focuses on repairing damaged neurons and synapses in the brain that often malfunction as a result of depression. Depression causes an overgrowth of specific proteins and hormones, such as cortisol, which causes damage to neurons and synapses related to your mood. Ketamine helps repair this damage by provoking a response from the brain that enables certain connections to regrow between those brain cells that are related to mood. This response also stimulates and normalizes glutamate receptor levels and stimulate gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptors in the brain, both of which are out of whack with depression. While this therapy is not as widely recognized as other methods, it is much quicker in its effectiveness than SSRIs. While antidepressants can take months before making a noticeable difference, patients have reported feeling better within hours or days of ketamine infusion therapy! For these reasons, we believe ketamine infusion therapy is one of the most effective ways to treat depression.

If ketamine infusion therapy sounds right for you, we would love to provide this excellent new treatment to you at Bay Area Ketamine Center! To schedule an appointment, or if you would like more information, please call us at (415) 529-4559. You can find us at 746 Altos Oaks Drive in Los Altos, California. We serve patients from Los Altos, CA, Sunnyvale CA, Palo Alto CA, Stanford CA, Atherton CA, Cupertino CA, and BEYOND.