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Veterans Day: PTSD, Veterans, and What the Research Says About Ketamine
Veterans Day is a time to recognize the men and women who have served our country. It is also an opportunity to acknowledge something that often receives far less attention: for some veterans, the effects of service continue long after they return home.
KETAMINE INFUSIONMENTAL HEALTHDEPRESSION
11/11/20263 min read
Veterans Day: PTSD, Veterans, and What the Research Says About Ketamine
Veterans Day is a time to recognize the men and women who have served our country.
It is also an opportunity to acknowledge something that often receives far less attention: for some veterans, the effects of service continue long after they return home.
Post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, can affect sleep, relationships, work, mood and a person’s ability to feel safe in everyday life. Some veterans experience nightmares or intrusive memories. Others struggle with anxiety, depression, irritability, emotional numbness or feeling constantly alert to potential danger.
And while effective PTSD treatments exist, not every patient experiences adequate improvement. That is one reason researchers have continued to investigate additional treatment options, including ketamine.
As a physician, I believe emerging research deserves attention. But I also believe veterans deserve clear, honest information about what the evidence does—and does not—support.
Why are researchers studying ketamine for PTSD?
Ketamine affects glutamate signaling in the brain through its action on NMDA receptors. Researchers have studied whether these effects may influence mood, stress responses and the brain’s ability to adapt.
Some early studies have reported reductions in PTSD symptoms following ketamine administration. Those findings are especially important to study because PTSD can be difficult to manage, particularly for people who continue to experience symptoms despite appropriate treatment.
However, promising early research does not automatically mean a treatment has been proven effective.
What does the evidence actually show?
The evidence supporting ketamine specifically for PTSD remains limited and inconsistent. Some relatively small studies have reported improvements in symptoms, while other controlled trials have not demonstrated a clear benefit.
The 2023 clinical practice guideline from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense suggests against using ketamine specifically to treat PTSD. That distinction matters. Ketamine is sometimes discussed online as though it is already an established treatment for trauma or PTSD. The current evidence does not support that level of certainty. Veterans considering treatment deserve to understand that
What treatments have stronger evidence for PTSD?
For PTSD, trauma-focused psychotherapies remain among the most strongly recommended treatments. These include:
Cognitive processing therapy
Prolonged exposure therapy
Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing
Certain medications, including sertraline, paroxetine and venlafaxine, also have evidence supporting their use for PTSD.
Treatment should always be individualized based on symptoms, medical history, preferences and access to qualified mental health professionals.
Ketamine should not be presented as a replacement for established PTSD care.
What if a veteran is living with both PTSD and depression?
This is where the clinical conversation becomes more complex. PTSD and depression frequently occur together.
A veteran may have PTSD while also experiencing major depressive disorder that has not responded adequately to conventional treatment. In that situation, the depression may need to be evaluated separately.
For selected patients, that discussion could include the potential role of ketamine for treatment-resistant depression. However, improvement in depressive symptoms does not necessarily mean the underlying PTSD has been treated. These conditions require careful assessment and, ideally, coordination with the patient’s broader mental health team.
Veterans deserve honest conversations about treatment
People who have served our country deserve more than exaggerated promises. They deserve physicians who will explain what the research supports, where the evidence is still developing and when another treatment may be more appropriate.
At New Hope Ketamine Clinic, I believe that responsibility is especially important when someone has already spent years searching for relief. Sometimes the most responsible recommendation is ketamine. Sometimes it is not. And sometimes the best next step is continuing care with a mental health professional who specializes in evidence-based PTSD treatment.
The goal should always be the same: helping the patient make an informed decision based on their individual needs.
This Veterans Day, we recognize more than service
We recognize the lives veterans continue to build after their service ends. We recognize the mental health challenges that may not always be visible.
And we recognize the importance of making sure veterans have access to thoughtful, evidence-based and compassionate care.
If you are a veteran living with PTSD, depression or both, I encourage you to speak with a qualified mental health professional about your symptoms, treatment history and available options.
If you are also experiencing treatment-resistant depression, a separate medical evaluation may help determine whether additional treatment approaches should be considered.
My goal is not to suggest that ketamine is appropriate for every veteran. It is to make sure patients understand when it may—and may not—have a responsible place in their care.
This Veterans Day, New Hope Ketamine Clinic honors those who have served and the importance of providing veterans with informed, individualized and compassionate healthcare.
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