1 in 5 people could be diagnosed with depression or another serious mental illness in their lives. For some, a drug which can cause a loss of feeling or awareness is showing promising signs against treatment-resistant depression. If this story has raised issues for you, you can call Lifeline on 13 11 14
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00:00 After decades with treatment resistant depression, Angela Neal feels relief with a weekly dose
00:07 of ketamine.
00:09 You feel quite funny, sort of out of your body for a little while.
00:14 It's providing her with some hope.
00:15 You start to think in different ways. The sad thoughts that go round and round tend
00:22 to stop. You're more flexible in your mind.
00:25 Dr Shanti Sarma is behind the Queensland Health Program that's making the ketamine available
00:30 for free to a select group at the Gold Coast University Hospital.
00:35 She co-authored a study which found it works for 20% of those involved.
00:40 These people who've had really, really difficult to treat depression that haven't responded
00:44 to the normal treatments and who are having a significant impact on their quality of life.
00:51 Ketamine can be administered in different ways and it's only recommended for people in Angela's
00:55 position. But it's very expensive for patients outside of trials and special programs. Doctors
01:01 say that could change with more research.
01:04 If the reports continue to show positive results then I think we would be much more likely
01:09 to support having ketamine registered as an accepted treatment under Medicare.
01:15 Ketamine is used illegally as a party drug and overdoses can be fatal. Doctors say it
01:21 should be used alongside traditional treatments and only for people who pass health tests.
01:25 It's been really heartening to see some new novel agents and treatments available for
01:31 people who've been suffering for a very long time.
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