Suicide is the 10th leading US death. Predicting it is hard; only clozapine, lithium, and ketamine reduce risk. Genetics, stress, and access to means all contribute.
In 2019, Elijah McClain died after EMTs injected him with 500 mg ketamine during a police arrest. The text argues ketamine is not a sedative but a dissociative anesthetic that inhibits GABA indirectly and can raise heart rate and blood pressure. In a stressful arrest, this may worsen agitation and cardiac strain. It concludes ketamine should not be used to “sedate” detainees.
