Page 101 - Senior Link Magazine Fall 2021- Online Magazine

SENIOR RESOURCES

(Swift & Greenburg, 2012). The didn’t matter if I was suffering. I went psychotherapy (Dore, 2019). Ketamine
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid back to what I loved, patient care. is not a magic bullet, and, like other
Services report that 50% of patients medications, it is not for everyone.
with Major Depressive Disorder I grew. Mindfulness meditation and But for me, my wife, and many of
(MDD) have treatment resistant seeing a therapist helped me to stop our patients, it is a significant tool
depression (TRD). This means having panic attacks. I stayed plugged to promote healing and alleviate
that they have tried two or more in with my faith community. I focused suffering.
medications/interventions without on living from my values. I worked
significant relief (Centers for Medicaid on diet, exercise, and time outdoors.
and Medicare Services, 2018). TRD My wife was on the journey with me,
patients have a 35% higher all-cause making her own life changes, but her Abdallah, C. G., Averill, L. A., Collins, K. A., Geha, P.,
mortality compared to non-TRD postpartum depression still lingered. Schwartz, J., Averill, C., DeWilde, K. E., Wong, E., An-
ticevic, A., Tang, C. Y., Iosifescu, D. V., Charney, D.
patients (Li et al., 2019) and are twice Desperate for a treatment, I started S., & Murrough, J. W. (2016). Ketamine treatment and
as likely to require hospitalization reading study after study about the global brain connectivity in major depression. Neu-
ropsychopharmacology, 42(6), 1210–1219. https://doi.
(Centers for Medicaid and Medicare effectiveness of ketamine for mental org/10.1038/npp.2016.186
Services, 2018). The U.S. Dept. of health. I discovered an entire industry Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services. (2018).
Veteran Affairs reported that in 2018, taking a different approach. Frustrated Definition of Treatment-Resistant Depression in
the Medicare Population. https://www.cms.gov/
more than 17 veterans a day commit with the lack of options in Lubbock, I medicare-coverage-database/details/technology-as-
suicide. Let. That. Sink. In. decided to open a ketamine clinic. sessments-details.aspx?TAId=105&bc=AAAQA-
AAAAAAA&.
Our mission at DENOVO Therapy Ketamine was developed by the Domany, Y., & McCullumsmith, C. B. (2021). Single,
is to bring an innovative treatment researcher, Dr. Edward Domino, in fixed-dose Intranasal ketamine For alleviation of
Acute suicidal IDEATION. an emergency DEPART-
to the West Texas region in hopes of the late 60s. In a July 2021 interview MENT, Trans-Diagnostic approach: A randomized,
double-blind, Placebo-Controlled, Proof-of-concept
reclaiming, awakening, and saving with Hamilton Morris, he recounts the trial. Archives of Suicide Research, 1–16. https://doi.
lives. Denovo is Latin for “of new” and story of the first patient who reported org/10.1080/13811118.2021.1878078
is applied to new creation or synthesis. ketamine was the only medicine that Dore, J., Turnipseed, B., Dwyer, S., Turnipseed, A.,
Our slogan “Find a New Beginning” is helped her depression. He laments Andries, J., Ascani, G., Monnette, C., Huidekoper, A.,
Strauss, N., & Wolfson, P. (2019). Ketamine assisted
not tongue-in-cheek or hyperbole. not starting a study for ketamine for Psychotherapy (KAP): Patient Demographics, clinical
depression 30+ years ago (Morris, data and outcomes in three large Practices admin-
istering ketamine With psychotherapy. Journal of
You might ask, “Why spend the last 2021). Thankfully, researchers later Psychoactive Drugs, 51(2), 189–198. https://doi.org/10
four years of your life bootstrapping a paved the way for ketamine’s use .1080/02791072.2019.1587556
therapy clinic?” You may or may not as an anti-depressant. Like other Li, G., Fife, D., Wang, G., Sheehan, J. J., Bodén, R.,
Brandt, L., Brenner, P., Reutfors, J., & DiBernar-
be surprised to know the answer is medications, ketamine is used for do, A. (2019). All-cause mortality in patients with
because of my personal struggle with many things. For example, ketamine treatment-resistant depression: A cohort study in the
US population. Annals of General Psychiatry, 18(1).
depression and PTSD. When I was 16, is an anesthetic approved for human https://doi.org/10.1186/s12991-019-0248-0
my dad was struck by lightning and use in 1970 and an analgesic used Morris, H. (2021). An interview with ketamine pio-
died while we were on a backpacking by combat medics in theater. Today, neer Dr. Edward Domino. https://www.patreon.com/
posts/podcast-23-with-53176333.
trip. This event sent me and my ketamine has an enormous body of
family into a 10-year PTSD haze. My research supporting its use for mental Serafini, G., Howland, R., Rovedi, F., Girardi, P.,
& Amore, M. (2014). The role of ketamine in treat-
mom even wrote a book about it.* health (Serfani et al., 2014) with ment-resistant Depression: A systematic review. Cur-
Eventually, I came out of it, mostly clinicians and patients all over the rent Neuropharmacology, 12(5), 444–461. https://doi.
org/10.2174/1570159x12666140619204251
because the years ticked by. Still, I was world endorsing its effects.
not OK. It was only another 10 years Swift, J. K., & Greenberg, R. P. (2012). Premature
discontinuation in adult psychotherapy: A meta-anal-
before I finally sought counseling. It took me a year to open the clinic. ysis. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psycholo-
gy, 80(4), 547–559. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0028226
By then, things were worse. I was My wife was our first patient. During
depressed and passively suicidal. her first ketamine infusion, she cried Veterans Affairs Office of Public and Intergovern-
mental Affairs. (2016, September 1). VA releases 2020
After a few years of therapy, I threw in and hugged me. She said, “Thank National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report.
the towel on my high paid corporate you. It feels like it’s lighting up parts VA.gov. https://www.va.gov/opa/pressrel/pressre-
lease.cfm?id=5565.
job and went back to working in of my brain that were asleep.” In the *Healing Journeys with the Shepherd: A Practical Guide
health care. I realized that my salary, clinic, we continue to see exciting for Grieving Hearts, by Mary Kay McCauley Stone
401k, suits, and fabricated career path patient results from ketamine and www.healingjourneyswiththeshepherd.com
the combination of ketamine with

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