For years, I struggled with treatment-resistant major depressive disorder with anxiety and severe PTSD stemming from a near-death experience and catastrophic car crash in 2022. Severe weather caused my car to collide with an oncoming vehicle. The car rolled over and landed back on its wheels. This obviously caused head trauma along with internal injuries. I had to be resuscitated after a difficult extraction with the Jaws of Life. I coded on the scene and nearly didn’t make it.
Fast forward: I was introduced to Dr. Ash Azatian and Dr. Marilyn Barnhill at Elevate Psychiatry during the rehabilitation phase of my recovery. Dr. Azatian’s compassionate, integrative approach—paired with psychotherapy—truly became a game-changer for me. But there was still something missing. The PTSD had been severe since the wreck, and Dr. A thought es-ketamine therapy could help. Like a lot of people, I was skeptical (ketamine sounded more like a street drug than medicine), but I trusted Dr. Azatian and said yes. He began treating me with this state-of-the-art modality, and now, 90 days later, I have never felt better in so many years.
Es-ketamine therapy has produced a true breakthrough in my mental health. I feel more at ease and can focus much better. For the first time in years, I can watch an entire movie—start to finish—without flashing back or dissociating. I feel more connected in life now, and it’s only getting better. It has provided me with significant improvements in my overall mood, and I am seeing enormous changes in the quality of my life. My treatment is combined with a personalized and comprehensive approach. Dr. Azatian’s modern, luxurious clinical setting, with a nurse’s help during the therapy, is deeply satisfying. The new es-ketamine suite feels like a calm, private sanctuary—warm lighting, plush recliners, and a nurse who stays with you the whole time.
I can confidently say es-ketamine has become a powerful tool in achieving long-term mental wellness for me, and Elevate Psychiatry is hands-down the best mental-health practice in West Texas for anyone who’s tried everything else and still needs hope. Highly recommended — excellent staff who support the excellence of Dr. Ash Azatian and Nurse Practitioner Marilyn Barnhill.
-Paul Tirone