Frankie Bridge tearfully shares ketamine therapy realisation: ‘A part of me is disappointed’

Frankie Bridge has admitted to feeling “disappointed” about one aspect of her therapy journey, after opening up about “life-changing” ketamine sessions she underwent to treat her depression.

The Loose Women star has often spoken candidly about her mental health battles, and in October last year, she revealed that she has been having the controversial treatment for “quite a few years” – describing it as “the only thing that really helps me long term”.

The sessions involve being given a controlled dosage of ketamine under the supervision of a healthcare professional. While recreational use of the Class B drug is banned in the UK, it can legally be prescribed for mental health conditions, including treatment-resistant depression (TRD).

In her latest YouTube vlog, Bridge said she is about to finish a seven-week course of weekly sessions.

“Going forward, I'm going to see how long the benefits last, and then I'll do top-ups,” the 37-year-old added. “It might be three months, we will see how I go.”

open image in gallery

“I had my follow-up appointment yesterday and I'm not fixed,” Bridge continued, becoming tearful. “I need these ket appointments to keep me on track.

“I had a moment yesterday where I was saying to my therapist how I am grateful I can have them but a part of me is disappointed that I still need it because some people, they don’t ever need it again.”

The former Saturdays singer previously said she was “terrified” before her first ketamine session, having never taken a drug before.

“I've never had that feeling of completely letting go, I think I've realised control is a big thing for me, and that is fully out of control – like I don't even like being really drunk,” she said.

“And so I started it a few years ago and that was quite a big deal for me. It's just the only thing that really helps me long term.”

open image in gallery

“It’s very good at bringing things up that maybe in the past you have pushed down or not acknowledged,” she said of the treatment. “Or it brings up things you didn't think were bothering you that much, and then you say it, and you're like, ‘Oh wow, OK’.

“But it also helps with the neuropathways. So for me it's like I have a wall in between my neuropathways, so they can't meet and attach, and with ketamine it builds new ones around that wall.”

Bridge chronicled her mental health struggles in her 2020 book, Open: Why Asking for Help Can Save Your Life, writing: “For as long as I can remember, I had suffered from anxiety, nervousness, the big black cloud, stress, low moods, sadness.”

open image in gallery

She has also opened up about being admitted to hospital in 2011 following a mental breakdown triggered by “severe” depression and anxiety. She was 21 years old at the time.

The singer said of her time in hospital: “You’d think I’d hate it, but it was a nice memory. It was the first time in years I felt really relaxed, I didn’t have to hide. I didn’t have to pretend to be happy all the time. But it’s a young age to have a breakdown.”