Support Steph's Mental Health Journey- Ketamine

I am writing this story for my girlfriend Stephanie Connors who has undergone a horror story reminiscent of nineteenth-century insane asylum treatments at the hands of the Alberta health care system.

Okay, perhaps I sound a little dramatic, but you can read on and decide for yourself.

In March of 2021, Steph was diagnosed with “bipolar disorder” due to Mania. Seemingly out of nowhere, Steph had gone into a state of stress-induced Mania, coming on the heels of the Covid 19 lockdowns. During this time, Steph lost her grandfather. All while being stuck at home like so many others, with no release from all the stress. This, combined with many other factors, led to Steph's eventual break. Upon realizing what was happening to Steph, I brought her to the front doors of the Royal Alex emergency and asked for help.

I knew nothing of the medical field, so those who loved her, like most Canadians, trusted those educated in the medical field to help Steph heal and bring her back to normal. I had no reason to believe she would come out of the hospital worse than how she went in.

However, that is exactly what happened. Steph was taken on her own to a back room and committed to Alberta Hospital, where she was immediately given a massive pharmaceutical injection containing “Aripiprazole” or “Abilify.” To be clear, no proper testing was done, no second opinion, and no checks and balances. Steph was simply told she was in a state of Mania and then diagnosed as Bipolar.

Immediately, based on an “educated guess,” Steph was dangerously medicated with this long-lasting (30 days) drug that is typically given to Schizophrenic patients who are not compliant with taking medication.

In Stephanies’ case, this was the first resort. There were no other treatment options and no other discussions to be had. It was simply a rushed decision that dramatically changed the direction of our lives and traumatically stole Steph from her friends and family.

During her time at Alberta Hospital, Steph had a severe reaction to Abilify, called Akathisia, which made her unable to sit still and stop moving; the doctors passed it off as her being manic.

Upon release, Steph continued to be severely overmedicated with various severe Pharmaceuticals such as Lithium. This particularly toxic pharmaceutical was prescribed to Steph for the next five months with devastating effects.

Fast Forward far too many months on this horror story of a journey, and two separate psychiatrists confirmed that Steph had been overmedicated and improperly medicated.

I watched these pharmaceuticals erase Steph’s entire personality, Steph’s career and Steph’s relationships. Worst of all, I watched these medications make the person I love suicidal.

As if this wasn’t a horrific enough story, Steph was then made to pay out of pocket thousands of dollars for the medications that were killing her.

The devastating effects of the “treatment” she received during her stay in Alberta Hospital have persisted to the current day, primarily in the form of Anhedonia, a form of depression so severe the person loses all positive and pleasure feelings, leaving them as a “shell” of their former self.

Until September of 2022, there was no apparent end in sight as Steph had been enduring the effects of Treatment-Resistant Depression and Anhedonia. She had gone from a bundle of happiness, the spark of energy in every room, to someone with absolutely no will to live. Due to her treatment, Steph was also left unable to work and denied disability funding from the government.

This brings us to the start of a GoFundMe. A few months ago, after a seemingly endless search for ANYTHING that could alleviate the pain, Steph found information about Ketamine treatments. After exhausting so many other options with zero improvements, Steph fought for a referral from her psychiatrist, pleading for it as a last resort. A short time later, her wish was granted, and Steph was put in touch with a doctor for this new and evolving treatment.

Now here we are at the end of September 2022, and not even four weeks into the treatment, I feel like I have my old Steph back.

This treatment has opened up a lot of new information regarding Steph’s journey. The most egregious of which, SHE MAY NOT EVEN BE BIPOLAR. This information comes from an Electroencephalogram (EEG) test done by the doctor conducting the Ketamine treatments. So after going for so long without adequate testing, Steph is only now getting an accurate diagnosis and helpful treatment.

However, Steph's incredible and fast change as a direct result of these treatments has her set on a new journey. Steph advocates for more doctors to be aware/trained in similar treatment methods to her current doctor. Unfortunately, he had to be taught outside of Canada.

Further, this treatment is not accessible to all Canadians.

The Canadian healthcare system does not cover these treatments despite being seen as recognized and influential.

For this reason, we seek help in covering the cost of this life-saving treatment and raising awareness for mental health conditions and alternative therapies to bring them to mainstream medicine.

Thank you for taking the time to read this. Please help Stephanie by sharing and donating to this cause.

If you'd like to watch Stephanie's first video she shared about her mental health struggles click this link. https://www.instagram.com/tv/CKneJV_grS5/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link