Knock, Knock: It's 2021, and Mental Health Is at Your Door

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The following post was written and/or published as a collaboration between Benzinga’s in-house sponsored content team and a financial partner of Benzinga.

The COVID-19 pandemic exposed many issues in society, but perhaps one of the most overlooked is the mental health crisis.

Some experts are going as far as to say that they are bracing themselves for the long-term effects of this time period as a psychological “fallout.” With more than 792 million people in the world living with a mental disorder, and a $16 trillion estimated loss to the global economy resulting from mental disorders, many are saying that it is clear something has to change.

A silver lining to this tumultuous time is that the mental health industry has taken strides to become more accessible. We can access online therapy on our phones, tablets, and computers to receive help for our most pressing issues at the touch of a button.

In addition, companies like Field Trip Health Ltd. ((FTRP, ">)), Cybin Inc. (NYSEAMERICAN: CYBN), and ATAI Life Sciences ((ATAI, ">)) have even started to push the boundaries on previously stigmatized drugs like ketamine and psychedelics to provide novel therapies to their patients, changing the mental health landscape as we know it. 

One biotech company, Pasithea Therapeutics Corp. KTTA, is combining both accessibility to care and these novel therapies. Pasithea says it is bringing intravenous ketamine infusion for depression, PTSD, anxiety, and other mental disorders straight to patients´ homes. Patients suffering from mental disorders often have symptoms such as social isolation, lack of energy, demotivation, and high levels of anxiety. They often present with serious limitations in their day-to-day activities and going to a treatment center can be a real struggle. By bringing this treatment to the comfort of patients´ homes, Pasithea is providing a novel way to have access to this treatment in a safe environment, as a board-certified doctor will administer the treatment.

The process starts with a video consultation with board-certified psychiatrists to determine whether ketamine would be an appropriate treatment for the patient. If approved for treatment, the patient will choose a time that works with his schedule where an anesthesiologist can come to his residence to administer the drug.

Before the treatment, vital signs will be monitored, and then an infusion of ketamine will be administered for 30 to 40 minutes. During this time period, the patient should expect to feel a degree of dissociation or a dreamlike state and will be accompanied by a clinician for observation. A follow-up assessment will be conducted to see how the patient is responding to the treatment.

Ketamine was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1970 to be used as an anesthetic, but was recently repurposed for the treatment of psychiatric disorders. Because ketamine works rapidly, sometimes within the first 24 hours, it has been classified as a  fast-acting antidepressant. It’s not fully known how it reacts with the brain, but studies show it may have to do with how it blocks the NMDA receptor and activates the AMPA receptor, which together facilitates synaptogenesis and affects mood and cognition. It could also reduce overall neuroinflammation.

Pasithea Therapeutics says it was founded on the basis of transforming the treatment of people who suffer from psychiatric and neurological disorders. Bringing a novel drug therapy directly to the homes of millions of patients in need has only strengthened its mission.

The preceding post was written and/or published as a collaboration between Benzinga’s in-house sponsored content team and a financial partner of Benzinga. Although the piece is not and should not be construed as editorial content, the sponsored content team works to ensure that any and all information contained within is true and accurate to the best of their knowledge and research. This content is for informational purposes only and not intended to be investing advice.