Around 16.2 million adults in the U.S. suffer at least one major depressive episode in their lifetime.
Depression is the leading cause of disability among people between the ages 15-44, while anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness, affecting at least 40 million adults.
With that many people affected in the U.S., we have about 552,00 mental health professionals practicing today.
Just in pure numbers alone, we do not have enough mental health professionals for the amount of people suffering from anxiety and depression. The average time for someone to find a therapist can vary from months to a year, also factoring in insurance costs, long wait lists, and finding the right match for a therapist.
But with the introduction of self-guided, online therapy platforms, patients can now get help sooner than later, which for some people may mean life or death. Indiana University psychologist Lorenzo Lorenzo-Luaces and his team have found that these online “apps” can greatly reduce depression.
Facts on the study:
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- The work which Lorenzo-Luaces did reviewed 21 pre-existing studies with a total of 4,781 participants and was published in the November issue of the Journal of Medical Internet Research.
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- The subjects of the IU study were specifically those applications that provide treatment with cognitive behavioral therapy, a form of psychotherapy that focuses on changing thought patterns and behavior to alleviate symptoms of depression and other mental disorders.
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- The conclusion was that the apps worked in cases of mild, moderate and severe depression.
Ketamine infusions work rapidly—oftentimes after only 1-2 infusions a patient will experience relief from their depressive symptoms. However, ketamine works more subtly than many patients expect—rather than instantaneous recovery, ketamine lifts the fog of depression just enough for a patient to engage in other treatments that they may have been too depressed to engage in before, such as talk therapy, exercise, or holistic therapies, for example. This is where the app might come in handy: with the app there to provide additional support, a patient may be able to bounce back to their normal life’s activities, faster.
Contact Vitalitas Denver
If you are struggling with depression or anxiety and have lost hope, please contact our ketamine clinic. We can help assess your history and symptoms, and hopefully, help you start your journey toward health and wellness.
