8 Ways an Old Hit Can Still Be With You
If you ever got your bell rung and something never felt right after, walk through these eight. They are the long-term patterns research ties to an old head impact, the ones standard depression care rarely connects back to the hit.
If several of these sound like you, it does not mean you have any single diagnosis. It means there is a driver worth checking that ordinary depression care usually skips. The next step is a 2-minute screener.
Whichever Story Is Yours, the Biology Rhymes
An old hit can show up across eight areas: mood, thinking and memory, sleep, energy and hormones, the body's autopilot, balance and vision, headache and sensory sensitivity, and personality. Standard depression care usually looks at only one.
- People with a history of a bell-ringing hit are more than three times more likely to have depression than people without. (Beaton et al. 2020, meta-analysis, Frontiers in Neurology)
- Standard antidepressants often can't reach this population. A meta-analysis of antidepressants for depression after a head impact found no significant difference from placebo. (Foreman et al. 2019, J Head Trauma Rehabil)
- Ketamine and esketamine (Spravato®) work on a different system entirely, glutamate, with effects measurable in hours and a 24 to 72 hour neuroplasticity window. (Zanos & Gould 2018, Molecular Psychiatry)
We do not claim to repair, reverse, or cure a concussion or any brain injury. What we do is treat the depression that a head-injury history can make more likely, and more resistant to standard care. A head-injury history is a risk factor for that depression, not an indication for ketamine itself.
It All Starts With a Recovery Evaluation
Everything begins with a Recovery Evaluation, a proper clinical evaluation from a clinic with neurology available to consult, not a sales call. It is $99, fully refunded if you don't qualify. If you do, the treatment pathway is Spravato in our clinic.
Spravato® in our clinic
FDA-approved for treatment-resistant depression. Given only in certified healthcare settings under its REMS program, with supervision and two-hour monitoring, and often covered by commercial plans, MO HealthNet, TRICARE and Medicare, subject to prior authorization and our participation with your plan. We verify your exact cost first.
Your PHQ-9 is measured at every visit, so you see the numbers move, not just how you feel.
Safety & Compliance
Spravato under its REMS program
Every dose is observed by a healthcare provider, with two-hour post-dose monitoring and blood-pressure checks before you leave.
No driving until the next day
Someone drives you home, and per the FDA label you do not drive again until the next day, after a restful sleep. This is a firm rule, not a suggestion.
We screen for substance use
This treatment is not compatible with active substance use, and we screen for it carefully.
Crisis: if you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text 988 (Suicide and Crisis Lifeline) or go to your nearest emergency room. Brain Recovery Centers is not an emergency service.
Spravato® (esketamine) is FDA-approved for treatment-resistant depression and for depressive symptoms in adults with major depressive disorder with acute suicidal ideation or behavior. It is not FDA-approved for concussion, traumatic brain injury, or post-concussion syndrome. Use in patients with a concussion history is based on clinical judgment regarding the depression component. We do not offer IV ketamine infusions. This page is educational and not medical advice. Individual results vary.
Standard Treatment Hasn't Worked Because It May Not Be Standard Depression.
Start with a Recovery Evaluation. $99, fully refunded if you don't qualify. Or take the 2-minute screener first.
Start the 2-minute screener Book a free consultPrefer to talk it through? Call us at (314) 314-9112.