“I'm not great at the advice. Can I interest you in a sarcastic comment?”

This is what ‘Friends’ actor Matthew Perry’s character Chandler Bing was known for. He was known for being funny. However, he had his own struggles in his personal life and those struggles were acute depression. He was treating it with ketamine infusion therapy which is legal in the US and the UK.

What is Ketamine infusion therapy?

Ketamine is an anaesthetic used to treat depression, anxiety and pain under supervised and controlled medical settings. However, it does have its side effects, which can lead to distortion of sight, sound and time. It can also produce calming and relaxing effects.

Ketamine increases a person’s heart rate and blood pressure. If overdosed, it can leave users confused and agitated and can cause them to hurt themselves without even realising it. It can also lead to liver damage and bladder problems.

However, when used in moderation and under the supervision of medical doctors, it can treat depression where traditional antidepressants have failed.

Prof Rupert McShane, a University of Oxford psychiatrist who runs an NHS ketamine treatment clinic told BBC that ketamine “probably turns off the area of the brain that is involved in disappointment.”

Can Ketamine Infusion Therapy Kill Someone?

In simple terms, it cannot, be if the dosage is given in a controlled setting and as prescribed. Ketamine infusion therapy uses drugs in small doses than those used for anaesthesia. It acts faster than traditional anti-depressants, but the effects also wear off way quickly. Which is why it is important to monitor patients’ mental state for relapsing back into depression and discouraging them from overdosing on it.

There are ways of giving people ketamine. One of the ways is through “infusing”, which means to use an IV drip. However, injections, nasal sprays and capsules are also methods used to give people ketamine.

Since the dosage of ketamine used in the infusion treatment is small, it being the reason of actor Perry’s death was ruled out. The medical examiner also noted that Perry’s last ketamine infusion therapy session happened more than a week before his death, which means by the time he had died, it must have worn off.

So, What Happened To Perry?

Though Perry’s last session was more than a week before, his post-mortem showed that his blood contained a high concentration of ketamine. He had died of the “acute effects” of ketamine.

If it was not his session, then how did he get ketamine?

Prosecutors alleged that his assistant gave him at least 27 shots of ketamine in four days before his death, reported BBC.

Perry has been open about his personal struggles and this is what the doctors and dealers used against him. Martin Estrada, the US attorney for California’s Central District told the BBC that people took advantage of his condition. They charged him 165 times more than what vials of ketamine cost.

Names that have come up include Dr Salvador Plasencia, drug dealers “Ketamine Queen” aka Jasveen Sangha and Eric Fleming, and Perry’s live-in assistant Kenneth Iwamasa.

Who Are These Names And What Did They Do?

Ketamine Queen or Sangha supplied drugs that led to Perry’s death. Her home was a “drug-selling emporium,” said Estrada. More than 80 vials of ketamine, and thousands of pills including methamphetamine, cocaine and Xanax were allegedly found in her house known as the “Sangha Stash House.”

Sangha is known to deal with high-end celebs and was a “major source of supply for ketamine to others as well as Perry,” said Estrada.

Dr Plasencia called Perry a “moron” while charging him $2,000 for vials that cost only $12. He sold Perry 20 vials of ketamine between September and October 2023, costing $55,000.

He was the one who taught Iwamasa, who had no medical knowledge to inject the drug. This is after he knew that “Perry’s ketamine addiction was spiralling out of control,” as per what the investigators told the BBC.

Another dealer Fleming was told by Sangha to “delete all our messages.” While Fleming pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute drugs unlawfully, he also allegedly messaged Sangha: “Please call...Got more info and want to bounce ideas off you. I’m 90% sure everyone is protected. I never dealt with [Perry] only his assistant. So the assistant was the enabler.”

The court documents also revealed that he asked Sangha on whether the ketamine stays in your system or “is it immediately flushed out.”

Dr Pepper, Bots, Cans

The people who allegedly exploited Perry used coded language for ketamine and called it “Dr Pepper”, “bots”, or “cans.”

Selling overpriced drugs, taking advantage of Perry’s mental condition and falsifying medical records to make the drugs given to him look legitimate by Dr Plasencia is what took Perry’s life.

Iwamasa is said to have administered more than 20 shots of ketamine and three on the day Perry died. Whereas ketamine is only administered by a physician. Authorities also found that weeks before Perry’s death, Dr Plasencia allegedly bought 10 vials of ketamine and intended to sell to Perry.

He also injected Perry with a large dose, two days later. This caused him to “freeze up” and spiked his blood pressure.

When I Die, I Want Helping Others To Be The First Thing That’s Mentioned

Perry had always been open about his drug addictions, struggles with alcohol and his depression. He said that his openness would help others who are also struggling and wanted to be remembered by his quote which also is on the homepage of the Mattew Perry Foundation that helps others struggling with the disease of addiction: “When I die, I want helping others to be the first thing that’s mentioned.”

Five arrests have been made in the case so far.

The United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has announced more than $281 million in funding opportunities through 15 grant programs aimed at addressing addiction, deaths from overdose, mental illness and strengthening recovery services across the country.

HHS Announces $281 Million To Address Addiction & Recovery

The funding, announced by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), is supposed to support several health initiatives, including substance use and its treatment, suicide prevention, trauma-informed care, overdose, integrated behavioral healthcare, workforce development, recovery support services, and training for first responders.

Part Of Trump’s Great American Recovery Initiative

The investment forms part of the Trump administration's Great American Recovery Initiative, which seeks to expand healthcare in the midst of the nation's ongoing addiction and mental health crises.

Announcing the initiative, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said the funding would help communities get access to treatment, strengthen and improve recovery services, prevent overdoses, and provide frontline workers with the resources needed to save lives.

“We are investing more than $281 million through 15 grant programs to expand treatment, strengthen recovery services, prevent overdose, and equip communities with the tools they need to save lives, restore families, and Make America Healthy Again,” Kennedy said.

SAMHSA Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Christopher D. Carroll said the grants reflect the agency's commitment to addressing the prevention of addiction and overdose-related deaths and treatment of long-term recovery support. The announcement comes amid continued efforts by the federal government to increase investments in behavioral health.

The grants will support effective treatment, strengthen prevention efforts, expand recovery services, and provide resources for the professionals and organizations working on the front lines of the addiction and mental health crisis,” Carroll said.

Read more: 80 Years Of CDC: How America’s Premiere Health Institution Changed Under Donald Trump’s Administration

Other Behavioural Healthcare Initiatives

Last month, HHS allocated more than $700 million in additional funding opportunities, including support for the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHCs), homelessness initiatives, and the new STREETS program, which aims to reach enable homeless people get treatment and recovery services.

Earlier this year, SAMHSA also distributed nearly $800 million in block grants to states and territories to strengthen mental health services and substance use prevention, treatment, and recovery programs, highlighting federal efforts to expand behavioral health infrastructure.

Despite these investments, the administration's handling of behavioral health funding has faced scrutiny. In January, the Trump administration briefly canceled nearly $2 billion in addiction and mental health grants before reversing the decision following widespread criticism from lawmakers, public health experts and service providers, who warned that disruptions could jeopardize essential treatment and recovery programs.

The latest funding announcement also comes as the United States continues to grapple with high rates of mental illness and substance use disorders.

SAMHSA says that more than 21 million American adults were grappling with both a mental illness and a substance use disorder in 2024, underscoring the need for integrated treatment and recovery services.

For Canadians living with severe mental illnesses, the latest delay in making mental disorders eligible for Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) has reignited feelings of despair. People who had hoped the law would eventually recognize unbearable psychological suffering say they now feel abandoned by a system that has repeatedly postponed the change.

Impact Of Canada’s Latest MAID Decision

Many patients told the media that after years of exhausting treatment options, the repeated delay in making mental illness eligible for MAID has left them feeling as though they have “nothing” left to hope for.

One woman, Ann, who has lived with severe mental illness for decades, told CTV News she has tried virtually every available treatment, including medications, psychotherapy, electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) and ketamine therapy, but nothing has eased her suffering.

She said the repeated delays have left her feeling “absolutely abandoned,” adding, “They've left me with nothing.”

Another patient, Nicole, said she has struggled with debilitating psychiatric illness for years despite receiving extensive treatment.

She told the media that knowing MAID might one day become available had given her a sense of comfort, even if she never ultimately chose it. With the expansion postponed again, she says that reassurance has disappeared.

Read more: Men Account For Nearly 3 Out Of 4 Suicides In India — Are We Ignoring A Growing Men's Mental Health Crisis?

Why Has Canada Delayed Making Mental Illness Eligible For MAID?

Canada currently allows MAID for eligible adults experiencing irremediable, incurable and untreatable physical illnesses under a strict legal framework. However, people with severe mental illness who are struggling to get better still remain ineligible.

The federal government has delayed the expansion several times, with eligibility now expected no earlier than March 2027.

More recently, a parliamentary committee recommended indefinitely excluding mental illness as the sole qualifying condition, arguing that Canada is not yet equipped to implement the policy safely and fairly.

Supporters of expanding MAID say the current law unfairly discriminates between physical and psychological suffering. They argue that some people with severe psychiatric disorders endure decades of relentless symptoms despite exhausting every treatment option available.

Critics, however, say determining whether a mental illness is truly “irremediable” remains far more difficult than for many physical illnesses. Experts also warn that physicians currently lack reliable tools to distinguish a sustained request for MAID from suicidal thinking that may improve with treatment.

Mental health specialists have also emphasized that gaps in access to psychiatric care, housing, and social support must be addressed before eligibility is broadened.

The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) has argued that while psychological suffering can be just as profound as physical suffering, more evidence and safeguards are needed before extending MAID to mental illness alone.

MAID Accounts For About 5% of Deaths in Canada

According to the latest available figures from 2024, MAID accounts for around 5 per cent of all deaths in Canada. About 96 per cent of MAID cases involved people whose deaths were reasonably foreseeable, most of them terminal cancer patients.

The remaining 4 per cent involved patients whose deaths were not imminent but who had a "grievous and irremediable medical condition".

As one of Canada's most controversial healthcare policies continues to be debated, people like Ann and Nicole say they remain caught in limbo, waiting for a decision that could change the choices available to those living with severe, enduring mental illness.

The UK government has mandated that all schools across the country stock life-saving allergy pens from September under new statutory guidance known as Benedict's Law.

Published by the Department for Education (DfE), the guidance requires schools to keep adrenaline auto-injectors (AAIs), commonly known as allergy pens, on site. Teachers will also receive training to ensure they can respond quickly during emergencies, including administering the devices.

The nationwide rollout follows campaigning by the National Allergy Strategy Group and families, including Helen and Peter Blythe, parents of Benedict Blythe, who died after suffering an allergic reaction at school in 2021.

What Does the New Guidance Say

Under the new guidance, schools will also be expected to have clear allergy policies and healthcare plans, the DfE said.

"Today is a really important day for the thousands of families across the country who for too long have worried about keeping their children safe," said Education Minister Olivia Bailey.

"Benedict's Law means every single school will now have the training plans and the life-saving equipment in place to protect every child."

The statutory guidance, which sets out what schools must do to adhere to the law, will come into force in September.

From 2027, the same measures will become statutory duties and will apply to state schools, independent schools and fee-paying special schools. This means schools will be legally required to implement the changes.

What Happened To Benedict Blythe?

Also read: World Zoonoses Day 2026: Next Pandemic Very Likely, And The World Is Still Underprepared, Says WHO Scientist

Benedict Blythe died after accidental exposure to cow's milk protein while at Barnack Primary School, between Stamford and Peterborough, in December 2021.

Benedict was just 5 years old when he died following an allergic reaction at school.

On the morning of 1st December 2021, he opened his advent calendar and happily went off to class, a few hours later he collapsed and died from anaphylaxis. He was allergic to dairy, eggs, peanuts, sesame and chickpeas.

His mother, Helen Blythe, said she had worked with the school to put together an allergy action plan, but an inquest heard that process had not been followed.

"Had Benedict's Law and this guidance been in place when he'd been at school, he almost certainly would still be with us," Blythe said.

She noted that the Benedict's Law meant children would be "stepping into an education system far safer than the one that has come before," BBC reported.

She added there was a "significant gap" in schools' preparedness for children with allergies that would be addressed by Benedict's Law.

According to research by the Benedict Blythe Foundation, 50% of schools in England do not have any spare medication, one-third have no allergy policy, and 70% do not have all the measures now being introduced.

"The publication of this guidance is the beginning of a new era for allergy safety," Blythe said.

"It will improve the safety of hundreds of thousands of children and ensure around one and a half million adults working in schools have the knowledge and confidence to recognize an allergic reaction and respond quickly in an emergency."

What is Anaphylaxis?

Read More: Bryan Johnson Blames Sugary Cereals, Soda and Stress for His Autoimmune Disease; Shares Treatment Plan

The Mayo Clinic defines anaphylaxis as a sudden, severe, and potentially life-threatening allergic reaction. It can occur within seconds or minutes of exposure to something you're allergic to, such as peanuts or bee stings.

Anaphylaxis causes the immune system to release a flood of chemicals that can cause you to go into shock — blood pressure drops suddenly and the airways narrow, blocking breathing.

Signs and symptoms include:

• Skin: itching, redness, swelling, hives that are widespread across the body
• Mouth and/or throat: itching, swelling of lips, tongue
• Stomach: vomiting, diarrhea, cramps
• Respiratory: trouble breathing, shortness of breath, wheezing, coughing, chest pain and/or tightness
• Heart: weak pulse, dizziness, faintness
• Headache, nasal congestion, watery eyes, sweating
• Confusion, feeling of impending doom
• Loss of consciousness

How Do Allergy Pens Work?

The first-line treatment for anaphylaxis is epinephrine (adrenaline), which is available by prescription as an auto-injector or nasal spray. It works by reversing the life-threatening symptoms of a severe allergic reaction.

Delays in using epinephrine are common in fatal food allergy reactions. Other medications, such as antihistamines, are not adequate substitutes because they do not reverse airway swelling or raise dangerously low blood pressure.

Allergists advise that everyone with food allergies carry their epinephrine delivery device at all times, particularly those who have previously experienced anaphylaxis, have both food allergies and asthma, or are allergic to peanuts, tree nuts, fish or crustacean shellfish.