New Procedure for Treatment Resistant Major Depressive Disorder Now At MercyOne Specialty Care At Mason City Clinic

May 10, 2023

Like other psychological disorders, the cause of depression is not specifically known, but it is believed to be a combination of genetic, biological and environmental factors. Depression often occurs with other illnesses, including anxiety disorders, substance abuse, heart disease, stroke and cancer. Although depression can be a serious condition, it is highly treatable with antidepressant medication and psychotherapy.

However, there are some patients with Treatment Resistant Major Depressive Disorder who do not get relief from their symptoms by traditional means. These patients continue to suffer, feeling overwhelmed and depressed, sometimes struggling to get up in the morning and/or go to work.

In this video Andrea Anderson, ARNP, PMHNP-BC explains how a new treatment now available gives new hope to patients with resistant major depressive disorder.

It is important to talk to a doctor if you are experiencing symptoms to help prevent the condition from worsening. Following effective treatment methods can help make depression a manageable and much less dangerous condition.

Spravato, a nasal ketamine, has been proven to be beneficial for patients with resistant major depressive disorder, helping them in their depression, with their symptoms, to get and feel better. If you’ve tried at least two antidepressants but are not seeing improvement, you may qualify for this outpatient treatment that has helped other patients with resistant major depressive disorder venture out of the house, reconnect with family and friends, and live a better life.

To be evaluated for this new treatment, please consult with your physician.

Transcript

Andrea Anderson, ARNP, PMHNP-BC:

So we are starting to offer a new treatment for resistant major depressive disorder. It’s called Spravato or it is like a nasal ketamine. So this is for patients who have been struggling with continuation of depression symptoms while also continuing to take oral antidepressants and they’re just not quite feeling better or able to continue with daily living, daily going to work, just struggling to maybe get out of bed in the morning. So what excites me about this is that it is a treatment that has been around. So it has been proven to be beneficial for these patients to help them in their depression, symptoms, help them get better. So it’s nice that we’re going to be able to offer this in the North Iowa region.

I think it will be a really good new treatment for patients to be able to feel better and continue to see maybe a light at the end of that tunnel where they have been so low and have been so depressed that we are able to change their mood. Maybe someone who hasn’t been able to leave their house in so long might be able to finally get out and not feel as depressed when they want to go out. Maybe they’re going to reconnect with some family members, some friends, just able to live a better life.

In order to qualify for this treatment, patients have had to fail two antidepressants. It’s considered like an outpatient treatment, so at this point it will be in the hospital, but like you’re not inpatient, you will be in outpatient treatment. So you come there, you will have the treatment done, so you do give it to yourself nasally. You do not get the medication until you are in that chair and the nurse is there to see the patient giving it to themselves. And then their vital signs are taken. Vital signs are taken 40 minutes into it just to make sure that there’s no issues with blood pressure and that they don’t have any hallucinations or disassociation with the medication. And then they’re there for full two hours and then after that, they’re able to leave.

My favorite part about my job is seeing people get better. It’s really nice when people tell you like, “You helped save my life. You helped make me get through this tough time in my life.” So it’s just really nice to see them get better.