A Response to Wall Street Journal Coverage on Ketamine

Recent reporting in The Wall Street Journal has brought renewed attention to the risks associated with unmonitored ketamine treatment—particularly in the context of at-home telehealth models. These stories are difficult to read. When vulnerable individuals seek care for their mental health and experience harm, it is a profound tragedy and a signal that something in the system is broken.

At Ember, we believe it is essential that these concerns are surfaced and taken seriously. At the same time, it is equally important that patients and prospective patients are equipped with clear, accurate, and nuanced information about what ketamine treatment is, and how different models of care meaningfully impact both safety and outcomes.

Ketamine is not a monolith. There are critical distinctions between unsupervised, at-home use and evidence-based, medically supervised care delivered in clinical settings. For patients navigating treatment decisions, these distinctions are not academic, they are consequential.

We believe that responsible, thoughtful, and evidence-informed journalism plays a vital role in helping patients make informed choices, reducing stigma, and expanding access to effective care. When coverage captures both the risks and the realities of safe, high-quality treatment, it serves the public in a meaningful way.

Below, we’ve outlined a letter to the editor of the Wall Street Journal in response to this article, from our Co-Founder and Medical Director, Dr. Nicolas Grundmann. It reflects our perspective on the importance of safety, clarity, and nuance in conversations about ketamine care.

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Letter to the Editor, March 18, 2026

Subject: Letter to the Editor: The ‘Wild West’ of Ketamine

To the Editor,

I write as Co-Founder and Medical Director of Ember Health, where we provide intravenous (IV) ketamine treatment for major depressive disorder across five clinics in New York City. Since 2018, we have safely administered over 40,000 infusions to more than 2,500 patients, with 84% achieving meaningful relief, often after other treatments have failed. I also serve on the board of the American Society of Ketamine for Physicians, Psychotherapists & Practitioners (ASKP3).

Your recent article The ‘Wild West’ of Ketamine (She Hoped Ketamine Would Rewire Her Brain) raises valid concerns about safety in the expanding ketamine industry but fails to distinguish between fundamentally different care models. It conflates unsupervised, at-home telehealth prescribing with medically supervised IV treatment, misleading readers and potentially discouraging care among the 30 million U.S. adults with depression who could be helped.

Ketamine is not new or experimental. It is the most studied treatment for depression, with established protocols and broad adoption across the V.A., hospital systems, and outpatient settings. Off-label prescribing in psychiatry is also standard practice.

The central issue is safety. American Psychiatric Association (APA) guidelines recommend IV administration with continuous monitoring and controlled dosing. In contrast, at-home prescribing of oral ketamine without supervision departs from these standards, has been warned against by the FDA, and is less than half as effective as IV ketamine for depression.

Ketamine is not risk-free. Our data, developed with Harvard Medical School and Mass General Brigham, show serious adverse events in 0.06% of infusions—rare, but not zero—reinforcing the importance of medical supervision.

By failing to distinguish safe, evidence-based care from unsafe delivery models, the article risks increasing confusion and deterring patients from effective, frequently life-saving treatment.

We are committed to evidence-based care, and believe reporting in this field should meet the same standard.

Sincerely,

Nicolas Grundmann, MD

Co-Founder and Medical Director, Ember Health

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The Role of Reporting in Access to Care

At Ember, our mission is to define and expand access to the gold standard of IV ketamine care for depression. That mission requires not only clinical excellence, but also a broader ecosystem in which patients can access accurate information, weigh risks and benefits, and make decisions that are right for them.

Ketamine, when delivered responsibly, can be a life-changing, and in some cases, life-saving, treatment. But it is not without risk, and how it is delivered matters deeply. Expanding access must go hand in hand with maintaining the standards that ensure safety, effectiveness, and long-term outcomes.

We believe that journalism has an important role to play in this process. Careful, nuanced, and evidence-based reporting can help reduce stigma, clarify misconceptions, and ensure that patients are not deterred from seeking care that could meaningfully improve their lives. At the same time, it can and should hold emerging models of care to appropriate scrutiny.

Our hope is that conversations about ketamine treatment continue to evolve in a way that reflects both its promise and its complexity, and that, together, clinicians, patients, and journalists contribute to a more informed and compassionate mental health landscape.

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