Mindbloom Review

Our Mindbloom review is brought to you by James Dixon, one of our leading mental wellness writers here at SOMA Analytics. He puts this telehealth company to the test and speaks to users of the service to determine just how good (or bad) it is.

We are seeing an explosion in online telehealth companies seeking to use cutting-edge communication technology to remotely connect patients with healthcare teams. It makes a great deal of sense.

Even traditional therapists and the like have shifted a lot of their workload online. Increasing numbers of patients are being seen and diagnosed via video calls and FaceTime. Telehealth means patients have easier, faster access to the advice they need, and though it was increasing in popularity anyway, the pandemic sure did propel it into one of the most preferred ways to get help.

We’re also seeing a rise in psychedelics as legitimate treatment forms for certain mental health conditions, such as depression and anxiety. Research is ongoing into their effects, though a lot of the data so far looks incredibly promising.

Mindbloom seeks to combine these two innovations. They are a telehealth company, an online platform, designed to connect users with doctors who are licensed to prescribe ketamine to treat depression and anxiety. They seek to spearhead the next move into psychedelics for everyday use, promising breakthroughs to their patients through guided ketamine experiences.

You wouldn’t be alone if you thought this all sounded a little sketchy. Online doctors prescribing ketamine to a vulnerable section of the population? Definitely off-sounding.

However, if it’s done well, this kind of thing can truly be life-changing (in a good way!).

The question is whether or not Mindbloom do it well – do they conduct due diligence; do they put their patients first, treating them like patients rather than consumers; are they safe and responsible; and do they track their clients’ progress and keep tabs on their wellbeing?

About Mindbloom

Mindbloom’s treatment plans revolve around ketamine use for depression and anxiety. This is actually quite sensible in theory – there is a robust body of data supporting its use.

Ketamine is a little different from how you might picture psychedelics. It’s different from well-known psychedelics like psilocybin and LSD.

Rather than working on serotonin receptors in the brain, as these latter drugs do, ketamine interacts with NMDA receptors. These involve the neurotransmitter glutamate. Its effects on glutamate can include dissociative feelings, euphoria, and only sometimes hallucinations. I’ve used it in the past and experienced only mild hallucinations, with the euphoria being far more notable.

In higher doses, ketamine is also often used as an anesthetic or tranquilizer, particularly in veterinary surgery.

Early data for ketamine use as a treatment for anxiety and depression are very promising. It’s been shown that some people – for instance, those with drug-resistant disorders like major depressive disorder – can see rapid, considerable improvements in their symptoms. These can even often be seen after just a session or two.

Ketamine In Modern Medicine

However, ketamine is still being analyzed with specificity in mind. Certain groups can benefit from it. But can everyone? And is it appropriate as a first port of call?

Rather, many experts warn that it should be sort of a treatment of last resort, after more conventional options have been explored and exhausted.

We also need to know the shape of ketamine use in treatment: does it work by itself, is it better paired with psychotherapy, should it be used at home or in controlled settings?

Indeed, should users be supervised during ketamine use, as is common with other psychedelic treatments (think magic mushrooms)?

These questions are kind of ignored by broad swathes of the medical and pseudo-medical communities. If we’re being cynical, this is true particularly where there is a quick buck to be made, as there is for companies like Mindbloom.

Ketamine is at present the only psychedelic medicine that companies can legally open clinics for. It is the only psychedelic medicine that telehealth companies can legally prescribe. Because of this, there is an intense focus on ketamine, with the number of US clinics offering it as a treatment jumping more than five-fold between 2015 and 2018.

However, a 2018 investigation found that many of these new clinics made sweeping claims about their products whilst ignoring some of the really quite major side effects that can accompany them.

Screening processes were minimal. As we will see, they are with Mindbloom.

Realistically, if you fancy a ready source of ketamine, you can fake it pretty easily during your consultations and get it over the counter without difficulty. Clinics were found to offer inconsistent dosing, including amounts and frequency. Few were adhering to the American Psychiatric Association consensus statement for ketamine therapy – unfortunately, this includes Mindbloom.

This is a real shame. As above, there is a growing body of evidence that ketamine could be a real asset in treating common mental health concerns if administered correctly and safely.

Ketamine’s Efficacy For Depression & Anxiety

Ketamine has been found to be potentially more effective in treating depression than common pharmaceutical antidepressants. As per a study published in The American Journal of Psychiatry, a single infusion or dose of ketamine can be more effective, with sustained dosing – in this case, three doses over a fortnight’s course, giving added benefit.

In fact, 59% of depression patients reported a symptom reduction greater than 50% after their ketamine infusions.

This is in line with a 2020 meta-study that looked at an array of clinical trials of ketamine therapy and depression. Ketamine therapy was found to be effective across the board at reducing average depression scores. It was found to be particularly effective for patients with a history of unresponsiveness to pharmaceutical antidepressants.

Then there are the promising effects that ketamine can have on anxiety symptoms. It’s been well documented that it can have a very positive effect on patients suffering with common anxiety disorders. A clinical trial from 2020 looked into its benefits for patients with treatment-resistant anxiety disorders – i.e., anxiety disorders that don’t respond to conventional pharmaceutical medication.

Ketamine therapy was shown to be far more effective for anxiety than a placebo. Reductions in anxiety lasted for up to a week after a single infusion.

These kinds of results have been repeated elsewhere. In one study, patients suffering with treatment resistant anxiety or social anxiety disorder (SAD) were given weekly ketamine infusions for 12 weeks. A full 90% of participants reported ‘marked improvements in functionality and in their personal lives’, according to the study’s authors. These included notable reductions in their anxiety levels.

So there is a strong body of evidence showing ketamine’s potential as a treatment for anxiety and depression. This seems to be particularly the case for depression, where the data seem more solid.

However, this all tends to pertain to those suffering with treatment resistant forms, or those who are themselves treatment resistant.

These studies were all also conducted under controlled conditions in a safe clinical environment. This is all a far cry from being able to say that Mindbloom’s brand of treatment is safe and effective. Telehealth services may well safely, effectively branch into ketamine treatment one day, but I’m skeptical that Mindbloom have managed it here.

Using Mindbloom

At first glance, Mindbloom seems to be a pretty decent telehealth service. You go through an initial online screening, after which you will be connected with a qualified nurse practitioner who runs through your medical history. So far, so good. These seem like good first steps.

Then this nurse practitioner decides on a dose. This seems… abrupt. It’s a low threshold to get over t