Ketamine Use Disorder Is on the Rise
Ketamine can be addicting: Here's what you need to know.
By Mark S Gold
Published by Psychology Today on November 9, 2024
Key points
• Ketamine use disorder/ketamine addiction is being recognized as an emerging addictive disorder.
• Ketamine, an essential medicine according to WHO, has health and addiction risks in recreational use.
• Ketamine use disorder diagnostic questions have been proposed and can be used by clinicians and users.
Increasing numbers of ketamine users are asking if they may be addicted to ketamine. The answer often is yes. We don’t yet know how widespread ketamine use disorder (KUD) is. Still, the internet is full of accounts of people becoming addicted to ketamine taken at clubs, home, or recreationally as an alternative to cocaine or other drugs they fear might be adulterated with fentanyl. Ketamine addictions are also reported by people taking ketamine off-label for depression or anxiety, who assumed they were safe because a doctor prescribed their ketamine.
