August Newsletter

The last month has been very difficult for me and my family. Life is not always fair and sometimes when you least expect it you are faced with the inevitable. A few weeks ago I lost my father-in-law. He lived a long, good life, making it to see 92. He was an absolute gift to my family and made everyone he crossed paths with feel special and important. Twelve days later, his wife of 70 years, and my beloved mother-in-law, also passed. She was 91 years of age. They shared a beautiful, picturesque love and set a wonderful example for our family. This has left me, my wife, and our children with a lot of heartache. I am doing a lot of grieving, though I understand that what we are going through is a natural process and that in time it will pass.

Often distinguishing the difference between sadness and depression can be difficult, although the symptoms are sometimes the same: sadness, feelings of loneliness, loss of purpose, inability to focus, dark thoughts that won’t lift, etc. The thing to understand is that sadness is temporary and will lift over time. Sadness is related to something and is a normal feeling where as depression is an abnormal emotional state that can carry on for years, even decades, and is not something one can move through as well. Sometimes sadness can trigger depression that has been at bay and I encourage you to pay close attention to your feelings and journal them daily so you can better understand if you are suffering from a bout of sadness or depression. If ever your state of well-being is in question, always seek help from a medical professional.

On a happier note, this month we celebrated the birthday of my son, Sam. Not only is he the co-founder and COO of my clinic, but he is a rock for our family and truly my dearest friend. I wish him all the best and give him much praise for all he does for me, our family, our team, and our wonderful patients. He mostly works behind the scenes nowadays, but is a fierce advocate for all of our patients and their continued well-being. Happy birthday Sam!

Wishing you all an uplifting end to summer and a smooth transition into the fall season!

Dr. Steven L. Mandel

On behalf of our entire team, we want to wish a very happy birthday month to Sam Mandel, our COO and fierce leader here at Ketamine Clinics of Los Angeles. Sam brings light to our days; he knows just when to insert some humor as well as when to jump in and help take care of business. He holds us accountable and has set the standards for operation high. We admire his dedication to his family, his acting career, our clinical team, and most importantly our patients. We feel fortunate to work hard under his wing and we are inspired by his vision.

Thank you Sam for all that you do. We wish you a very happy birthday month and a great year to come!

XO,

Your Ketamine Clinic Crew

“Sadness is a human emotion that all people feel at certain times during their lives. Feeling sad is a natural reaction to situations that cause emotional upset or pain. There are varying degrees of sadness. But like other emotions, sadness is temporary and fades with time. In this way, sadness differs from depression.

Depression is a longer-term mental illness. It impairs social, occupational, and other important areas of functioning. Left untreated, symptoms of depression may last for a long time.

Keep reading to learn more about the differences between depression and sadness.”  Read More…