College students across the United States are suffering from anxiety at staggering rates. More and more young adults are having difficulty keeping up with their studies while dealing with their own internal struggles. Anxiety disorder exists on a spectrum with some individuals suffering from such severe cases that it seems like everything becomes nearly impossible to accomplish. But is there a way to help? Find out more about ketamine therapy and how it can help you.
What is Anxiety Disorder?
According to the American Psychiatric Association, roughly 30 percent of Americans will be faced with anxiety at some point during their lives. Anxiety disorder is not simply feeling nervous or anxious under stressful conditions – which we all feel at some point or another, but rather a deeper mental pain that involves an excessive amount of fear, oftentimes towards something that may not seem stressful at all to someone else.
Anxiety disorders can prevent people from going about their daily lives, particularly when it comes to concentration and stress. College is a generally stressful time for most young adults. Adjusting to new living conditions, a new environment, heavy course loads, and intense examination periods. All of these environmental factors can increase anxiety among young adults. If anxiety disorder goes untreated, the individual’s life will suffer more and more.
Anxiety Disorder Among College Students
Anxiety and depression among college students is on the rise in the United States. In a 2015 study, 61% of American college students said they “felt overwhelming anxiety.” With numbers like that, it’s hard to ignore the problem. Millions of college students are struggling to keep up with their studies as depression and anxiety-related disorders consume their lives in almost every aspect. It’s a scary situation and one that only seems to be getting worse. While college counseling services are offered in some colleges, these initiatives are simply unable to treat all of those suffering. Budget and staff constraints mean that millions of anxious college students can’t and won’t receive the care they need.
When Anxiety Disorder is Left Untreated for College Students
Without proper treatment, students dealing with anxiety during the college years – arguably the most definitive time in their lives – may find themselves unable to complete their studies to the best of their abilities. Untreated anxiety disorder can also affect a student’s part-time job, relationships, and obligations. While anxiety disorders can be dangerous for anyone, it is particularly stressful for college students because they are experiencing many new things for the very first time.
How is Anxiety Disorder in College Students Treated?
Generally, anxiety disorder is treated through psychotherapy. However, not all people are comfortable meeting with a stranger and opening up about their feelings. Psychotherapy requires complete transparency between patient and therapist. This can sometimes be difficult for many anxiety sufferers to achieve, and so can have limited benefits.
Another option is medication with antidepressants being the preferred choice. It is important to note that while antidepressants may be a viable option for some candidates, they are not completely risk-free. Antidepressants may take up to 8 weeks to begin working. During that time, the medications can drastically affect your mood and hormones as your body adjusts to the dosage. This treatment for generalized anxiety is effective for some patients but not for everyone. Another concern with antidepressants is a dependency. What happens if and when you wean off of the medication? Will the troublesome side effects of severe anxiety return all over again?
What is Ketamine Therapy?
Through IV or nasal spray, ketamine therapy is provided to help patients deal with debilitating mental illnesses like severe depression and anxiety. When administered by a licensed healthcare professional, ketamine therapy can be quite beneficial to patients suffering from severe and paralyzing anxiety.
Ketamine therapy works by reconnecting the damaged tissue between brain cells that control mood, anxiety and other emotions. When the brain cells are under distress, no amount of thinking or trying or hoping can make the brain function as you want it to. Ketamine therapy can rebuild those lost connections and quickly relieve the symptoms associated with it.
Students face increasing amounts of stress and along with financial worries and general young adult life issues and, in some cases, the brain can become overloaded with fear and anxiety. In these cases, it can be extremely difficult to face day-to-day life activities. However, ketamine therapy can work to relieve the most paralyzing symptoms of anxiety very quickly. While antidepressants can take weeks and psychotherapy can take years to yield positive results, many patients who have tried ketamine therapy have noticed a difference as soon as 24 hours after treatment.
What You Should Know About Ketamine Therapy
Ketamine is still a very sensitive drug and can be very dangerous in the wrong hands. Always trust your health to a professional. Ketamine therapy should be administered in a controlled and secure environment by medical personnel who are familiar with dosage. As with any medication, an overdose of ketamine can lead to a slew of serious side effects including hallucinations, dizziness, fatigue, vomiting or even death. Your health should always be taken seriously.
Is Ketamine Therapy Right for Me?
The best way to determine if you are a college student – or know a college student – who is a good candidate for ketamine therapy is to meet with the professionals at the Bespoke Treatment. An experienced and trained medical professional can help you determine whether or not ketamine therapy is right for your individual case. The experts at PKI will analyze your health situation and offer a specialized and customized approach to suit your individual needs. Anxiety is not the same for every single person, so why should treatment be?
Request an appointment today find out if putting an end to your struggles with anxiety is an option for you.
