Like most documentaries, this one comes in with a very clear agenda.
It tells the story of a young girl who was diagnosed with a rare and controversial condition. The mainstay of treatment for which is therapy (physical and psychological), however in rare circumstances medications can be used. This child was on a very high dose of a medication, ketamine, which is controversial in its own right.
Ketamine is often thought of a party drug but is commonly used in medicine. At lower doses it can be used to treat acute pain (typically ~20 mg for an average adult). At higher doses (~100 mg) it can be used for short term sedation for painful procedures. Newer data shows promise in treating patients with refractory depression and even substance abuse, however these studies are ongoing.
Maya was being prescribed enormous doses (1000s of mg) of this medication long term, for which there is no medical basis.
The documentary highlights what happens when "alternative medicine" meets "traditional medicine". While I do believe that Mayas alternative pain doctor was doing what he felt was right, he was very much outside the standard of care for this medical condition and I don't blame the traditional doctors for questioning the treatment.
I found the documentary to be interesting but very one sided. It does a good job of telling the story from the family's perspective, without attempting to explain why the medical doctors felt the need to take such drastic action. It also ignores the concomitant psychological illness shared by members of the family, which I feel would help add context.
What happened to Maya and her family is tragic, and I wish them all the best moving forward. I hope that being put on display the way this documentary has does not cause the family any more distress.
It tells the story of a young girl who was diagnosed with a rare and controversial condition. The mainstay of treatment for which is therapy (physical and psychological), however in rare circumstances medications can be used. This child was on a very high dose of a medication, ketamine, which is controversial in its own right.
Ketamine is often thought of a party drug but is commonly used in medicine. At lower doses it can be used to treat acute pain (typically ~20 mg for an average adult). At higher doses (~100 mg) it can be used for short term sedation for painful procedures. Newer data shows promise in treating patients with refractory depression and even substance abuse, however these studies are ongoing.
Maya was being prescribed enormous doses (1000s of mg) of this medication long term, for which there is no medical basis.
The documentary highlights what happens when "alternative medicine" meets "traditional medicine". While I do believe that Mayas alternative pain doctor was doing what he felt was right, he was very much outside the standard of care for this medical condition and I don't blame the traditional doctors for questioning the treatment.
I found the documentary to be interesting but very one sided. It does a good job of telling the story from the family's perspective, without attempting to explain why the medical doctors felt the need to take such drastic action. It also ignores the concomitant psychological illness shared by members of the family, which I feel would help add context.
What happened to Maya and her family is tragic, and I wish them all the best moving forward. I hope that being put on display the way this documentary has does not cause the family any more distress.