Ex-jockey launches Scotland’s first-ever clinic to offer ketamine treatment for depression

A clinic in Scotland is offering ketamine as a treatment for depression.

Fronted by ex-jockey and rehab worker John Gillen, the Hamilton-based Eulas Centre is Scotland’s first clinic to be granted a license to offer Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP).

As explained via the centre’s website, KAP treatment uses ketamine to help those suffering from particular mental health conditions, including mood disorders, anxiety and depression.

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An ordinary session would see the patient receiving a controlled dose of the drug via either IV infusion, nasal spray or oral medication, before engaging in "talk therapy" with a health professional.

Patients are said to undergo a "state of consciousness" induced by the ketamine which allows them to explore "underlying emotional and psychological issues".

A session can last 40 minutes to two hours, with patients requiring several treatments over several weeks or months.

Eulas’ website claims that KAP can help relieve symptoms of mental health conditions, enhance therapy, increase motivation, provide long-lasting effects and reduce the need for other medication.

Experts have previously explained that ketamine’s dissociative and anaesthetic effects could work as a treatment for depression as it works quicker than drugs such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs).

Ketamine can boost the serotonin hormone levels and reprogram the cells that affect mood and thought patterns.

The side effects. however, include physical side effects such as nausea, vomiting, and dizziness, psychological side effects such as anxiety, confusion, and hallucinations, during and after the infusion, and a potential risk for dependency on ketamine.

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After a two-year wait for Health Improvement Scotland to grant the license, The Scottish Sun reports that Gillen is using his "life savings" towards the clinic.

"I’ve come back to Scotland after travelling the world for many years looking for innovation for mental health and addictions and what I’ve discovered over the past five years is scientific research emerging from psychedelic medicine. I never thought I’d see that in my lifetime," Gillen told the publication.

He adds: "For a lot of reasons, Scotland’s always sort of dragging its heels behind a lot of other countries. Hopefully, in time, the NHS will recognise this as a valuable treatment and fund it for people."

In 2021, Awakn in Bristol became the UK's first ketamine therapy clinic offering nine-week courses for those suffering from mental illnesses such as depression or anxiety as well as addiction and substance abuse.

Since then, more ketamine therapy clinics have opened in England from London to Liverpool.

Find out more about the Eulas Centre here.

[Via: The Scottish Sun]

Becky Buckle is Mixmag's Multimedia Editor, follow her on Twitter