The psychotropic drug, ketamine has gained widespread support from mental health professionals for its effectiveness in addressing depression, anxiety, and trauma. A new study by UC San Diego researchers reveals recreational ketamine use has increased by 150% over the past decade, with the largest rise among adults between the ages of 26 and 34 and those with a college education.
Dr. Arsalan Azam, a San Diego provider of ketamine therapy who was not involved in the study, isn’t surprised by the findings. He said telehealth has made it “a little too easy” to access ketamine prescriptions.
“I think it’s great for access and convenience. But you are now suddenly putting ketamine in patients’ hands without necessarily a lot of supervision. So that is at risk for addiction, just like the opioid crisis happened, right? You have to have thoughtful prescribing,” Azam said.
Ketamine has been shown to provide therapeutic benefits in clinical settings, including as a potential alternative treatment for depression, suicidal ideation, and post traumatic stress disorder. It also carries risks, including anxiety, nausea, dissociation, and bladder damage.
Research shows the disparity in the use of psychedelics is tied to socioeconomic factors like income, clinical trial underrepresentation, and access to mental health care.
Dr. Kevin Yang, one of the authors of the UC San Diego study, attributes the increase in recreational use to growing media attention and clinical research surrounding the drug.
“Folks who are college educated are perhaps the ones who are seeing this information more often, or hearing about their peers who are using this and finding benefit from it,” Yang said.
Some research argues that psychedelics, including ketamine, could help marginalized groups process trauma caused by racism and discrimination. But Azam said they should be used in conjunction with other therapy.
“If you’re depressed because your job is difficult or you live in a very dangerous neighborhood, or you’re subject to just like social determinants of mental health, no matter how much ketamine you do, and how many awareness, like sort of epiphanies you might come to, it may not completely shift those things,” he said.
Yang said the findings are a reminder that as medical use of ketamine grows, prevention efforts and monitoring its recreational use is essential to avert potential harm.
