‘It gave me a life’

Looking back on her childhood in the 1960s and 70s, Linda Tchet realizes she broke the mold when it came to mental health. She first sought counseling at the age of 12, though it wasn’t until she was in her 50s that she had name for her condition: depression.

“People didn’t talk about their feelings when I was growing up,” Tchet recalled. “And people were definitely more hesitant to seek help. Mental health was kind of a taboo topic.”

Although her diagnosis was an important milestone in her journey with depression, Tchet still had a long way to go. Over the course of a decade, she tried more than 10 different medications, each with the same result.

“I was beyond lethargic,” she remembered. “I often said I felt like a gorilla with my arms dragging on the ground. Even when I found a medicine that worked for my depression, I still felt overwhelmingly sluggish.”

Results sooner with nasal spray

Relief came two years ago when Tchet was introduced to Spravato®, an FDA-approved nasal spray for people with treatment-resistant depression. The treatment targets a different neuroreceptor than traditional antidepressants and is taken in addition to oral medications.

“Because it goes directly into your nasal cavity and from there, there’s a direct connection to the brain, the medication bypasses a lot of the metabolism in the gut, so it works faster,” said Savitha Puttaiah, MD, a psychiatrist and medical director of Baptist Behavioral Health.

Amelia Brown, APRN, a psychiatric advanced practice registered nurse, said that the quick response time – which can be as fast as 24 hours – is key to getting patients to stick to the treatment.

“It can take weeks to months for people to start feeling the effects of traditional antidepressants, and it kind of slows their enthusiasm when they don’t see results quickly,” she said. “With this, patients can feel it working soon, which is encouraging for everyone.”

The nasal spray is first given twice weekly for four weeks, then weekly. Treatments may be spaced out further depending on how a patient responds. Because the spray is classified as a controlled substance, it’s administered by a trained professional in an office setting.

A world in brighter color

Tchet has now been receiving the medication weekly for two years. After 50 years of looking for answers, she said she can finally live the life she wanted.

“Instead of barely functioning, I’m able to be an active member in my community and do the things I enjoy,” she said. “It gave me a life.”

Dr. Puttaiah said advances in depression treatment are making this result possible for people who have struggled for years.

“Treatment-resistant depression is kind of a silent epidemic,” she said. “It pervades through every aspect of your life, and untreated depression can result in a patient’s loss of productivity at work, not being able to function at home, or even attempting suicide. These treatments can be lifesaving.”

Brown added, “It’s so gratifying when we see treatments working. Sometimes I’m overcome with emotion because – as one client put it – once they’re able to break through the depression, ‘the colors are brighter.’”

If you’re suffering from depression and have tried multiple treatments, talk with your primary care physician or behavioral health provider about whether a referral for Spravato® may be right for you. To learn more, click here or call 904.376.3800.