AUSTIN (KXAN) — After opening its first ketamine therapy clinic in Austin in July 2023, Mindful Health Solutions said it expanded its operations in 2024 due to community demand.
The clinic said it is the only one in Austin to offer intravenous ketamine, Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) and esketamine treatments under the same roof.
“Ketamine Infusion Therapy is a significant breakthrough in the treatment of depression and other psychiatric disorders, particularly for individuals with few treatment options,” said Dr. Edgar Hernandez, the regional medical director of Mindful Health Solutions.
“It holds the promise of enhancing outcomes, alleviating suffering and opening doors to future innovations in mental health care,” he continued.
Ketamine is a dissociative anesthetic not first developed for human use, according to the Drug Enforcement Agency. Researchers first observed its effect on depression in the 1970s, and it was clinically tested in the decades to follow, according to research.
The Food and Drug Administration approved the use of a ketamine-nasal spray in certified clinics for treatment-resistant depression in 2019.
"One of the areas actually where we do see a rapid response with ketamine is in suicide," Hernandez told KXAN. "Even within 24 hours of a treatment, suicidal ideations either decrease in severity or they actually disappear."
Further, Hernandez said the treatments offered at Mindful Health Solutions prove effective in around 70% of the patients he sees. Despite this, Hernandez said ketamine is often considered to be "alternative."
"In reality, [the treatments] should be part of the arsenal of psychiatric tools that we should have available for patients," Hernadez said.
"Part of what we do here is educating — not only educating patients, but clinicians," he continued. "[It is] important for us to be able to educate the community, inform them of what is available, and then allow the patient to make the informed decision to proceed or not with the treatment."
