Reflections on Psychiatry & Psychology

The “988 Lifeline” service was launched in July 2022, progressing from the narrow focus on suicide prevention as the “National Suicide Prevention Lifeline” to a wider attention of forms of acute distress (and also requiring a much simpler dial code).  A recent study on 988 Lifeline reveals that while it has received millions of calls, texts, and online messages, it might not be living up to its full potential. The researchers found that people dealing with severe psychologic

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.