Hayley Wall
First synthesized as an anesthetic in 1962, ketamine is used recreationally as a psychedelic and has become a popular nightlife drug, including in queer spaces. In powdered form, the drug is often passed around crowded dance floors and afterparties, where bumps offer bursts of dissociation and euphoria. But over the past two decades especially, the use of ketamine under medical supervision — or “ketamine-assisted therapy” — has been researched as an intervention for multiple mental health conditions, most notably treatment-resistant depression.
Ketamine’s effects on the brain have long made it a powerful tool in medicine . Ketamine has been used as an anesthetic since the 1970s , and following a surge of studies in the early 2000s, is now being used by doctors as a potential treatment for a range of diagnoses. In addition to its use as an intervention for depression , recent studies have also investigated its effects on bi-polar disorder , posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety , eating disorders , addiction , and more. Ketamine is only FDA approved as an anesthetic, however, so any use of ketamine for mental health treatment is still considered off-label, meaning that it is used for a different purpose than intended.
Several experts who spoke to Them say that they have seen promising outcomes using ketamine to treat some of the most common mental health conditions often faced by LGBTQ+ people. And many queer people who have experienced ketamine treatment say it has helped them overcome mental obstacles that other interventions couldn’t. While ketamine abuse in recreational settings has shown to be a risk in the queer community , medical-supervised use of ketamine for mental health treatment is a promising avenue warranting further study .
Other psychedelics, like MDMA and psilocybin (the psychedelic compound found in mushrooms), have also been studied for potential therapeutic use, and advocates are now pushing for the FDA to approve a range of psychedelic treatments for mental health. Although psychedelics are generally not considered highly addictive , some users can develop a tolerance for ketamine or abuse it. What does it look like to use ketamine in […]
What Is Ketamine Therapy? Queer People Share Their Experiences With the Practice
