At a time when budget cuts jeopardize the viability of long list of federal agencies – and politics threatens to exert more influence than ever before – a new federal report recounts a tragic story of a nation still struggling with suicide.
The latest Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMSHA) report reveals that more than 49,000 Americans died by suicide in 2022. That represents a 3% jump over the previous year. It also marks the highest number recorded in U.S. history.
The climbing suicide rate appeared particularly striking about older adults – those over 50 – while teen suicide rates have actually dipped slightly.
Despite the mixed results, new research out of France hints at a brighter future for those living under the shadow of suicidal thoughts.
A Persistent Crisis
SAMSHA’s National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) reveals that while adolescents between 12 and 17 saw a decline in both suicide deaths and attempts between 2021 and 2022, adults 50 and older experienced a 5% rise in suicide mortality.
The gender gap also remains unsettling. Men made up nearly 80% of all suicide deaths, consistent with earlier reports. And although suicidal ideation remained relatively stable overall, more than 12 million U.S. adults reported thinking taking their own lives in 2022. And more than 1.4 million adults tried to.
Ketamine Offers Hope
But a still-nascent treatment approach offers hope. In a new study (published in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry), University Hospital of Montpellier researchers looked into whether intravenous ketamine could also stave off future suicidal behavior. And the results were startling.
Among 100 high-risk patients treated with one or two low-dose IV ketamine infusions for a suicidal crisis, 61% experienced a 50% (or higher) reduction in suicidal ideation within a week.
And perhaps even more dramatically, those patients who responded quickly to the treatment were also 75% less likely to experience a suicidal event (an attempt or psychiatric hospitalization) over the following three months compared to those who didn’t respond to the drug.
The study break ground with evidence that ketamine’s early anti-suicidal effects translate into real-world protection against future suicidal behavior. The data show that it doesn’t just offer temporary relief from suicidal thoughts.
A New Tool for a National Emergency
The study’s authors suggest that ketamine might work directly and indirectly. While alleviating depression is part of the equation, ketamine also seems to curb psychological pain and disrupt harmful cognitive patterns.
And that could transform how mental health professionals approach patients in acute suicidal distress.
“Ketamine provides a critical window,” the authors note, “allowing time to initiate longer-term therapies in a moment of acute danger.”
As suicide persists across all demographics, fast-acting treatments like ketamine could prove to be a vital bridge. And although the therapy isn’t without its detractors, the early data tell a compelling tale.
For now, at least, the message is as urgent as it is obvious. The nation’s suicide crisis lingers. But with targeted, rapid interventions like ketamine, there might be new ways to save lives.
Further Reading
Suicide Risk among Patients with Bipolar Disorder
