Ketamine, once known primarily as a medical anaesthetic and horse tranquilliser, is now sweeping through youth culture as a cheap and accessible escape especially among young people grappling with mental health challenges. But beneath its fleeting high lies a growing crisis that experts say could have devastating long-term consequences.
The dissociative drug, often nicknamed “Special K,” creates a dreamlike state in low doses and can induce full detachment from reality in higher quantities—what users describe as the “K-hole.” This surreal, numb experience has become increasingly attractive to teenagers and adolescents seeking refuge from emotional pain.
In the past two years, the number of under-16s reporting problems with ketamine has nearly doubled, overtaking cocaine in popularity among children and teens. And nearly half of those who began treatment for drug misuse in 2023–24 reported an underlying mental health condition.
Alarmingly, over a quarter of them were receiving no formal support for those issues.
“What we are seeing is a perfect storm,” says David Gill, founder of Risk and Reliance, a training organisation focused on new drug trends.
“We have more young people struggling with depression, trauma, anxiety, a lack of services and we have a very cheap street drug that helps them disconnect.”
Short-lived
While ketamine offers a short-lived escape, its long-term impact is far more severe. One of the most dangerous side effects is ketamine-induced uropathy; a condition affecting the bladder, kidneys, and liver. First recognised in recent years, it causes severe pain, bleeding, and inflammation so extreme that the bladder may need to be surgically removed.
Professor Rachel Isba, a public health consultant, runs a clinic dedicated to treating under-16s suffering the physical side effects of ketamine:
“The early signs are frightening, abdominal pain, urinating blood or jelly from the bladder lining,” she explains. “These are young people at real risk of permanent organ damage.”
Her clinic offers a holistic model of care, combining urology expertise with mental health and addiction support. “We don’t just treat the body,” says Prof Isba. “We try to understand the ‘why’—why these children are reaching for ketamine in the first place.”
Be Aware
Ketamine remains a Class B drug in the UK. Possession can lead to five years in prison or an unlimited fine. Yet its low cost and ease of access make enforcement difficult and prevention even harder, especially when it fills a void left by overstretched mental health services.
Public health advocates stress that addressing the root causes from untreated trauma and anxiety to social isolation is essential in breaking the cycle. For now, resources like the BBC Action Line provide information and links to help for those affected.
The euphoric calm of ketamine may seem like a solution to inner chaos, but its lasting damage, both physical and psychological is a price too high for the young to pay.
