Welsh rehab centre reports rising demand for help with ketamine use among young people

A Welsh rehabilitation centre is treating a growing number of people for ketamine dependence, many of them aged 18 to 24, as researchers examine how services can better support young users.

Megan Harmes, from Flint, first tried ketamine at 14. By 22, she said, bladder problems had left her wearing incontinence pads. Now 24, she has been in rehabilitation for more than four weeks and says she is beginning to feel physically better, although she does not yet know whether the damage to her bladder can be reversed. [2]

Kaleidoscope, the charity that runs the Birchwood rehabilitation centre, says 112 people had come through its doors since January. Manager Jo Moore said half of its clients were then being supported for ketamine use. She said the drug’s low price and ready availability allowed people to use it more often and in larger amounts. [2]

The University of South Wales, which is working with Kaleidoscope on research and improved treatment pathways, reported that Birchwood had recorded two ketamine cases in 2021 and 101 by the end of 2025. The BBC report gives a newer figure of 112, but does not make clear whether this counts referrals, admissions or people who attended the centre. [Sources 1, 2]

Harmes told the BBC that ketamine use became more common among her peers during lockdown. She said she used it “all day, every day” at her worst, and that it helped suppress feelings associated with ADHD and borderline personality disorder. Her use contributed to the loss of her apprenticeship, she said, and later became part of a routine of working night shifts.

Dr Darren Quelch, a University of South Wales researcher, said interviews at Birchwood suggested some people began using ketamine as young as 13. He said persistent use could be associated with harms including memory problems, chronic pain, bladder damage and kidney failure. Researchers are studying what support works for this group, whose needs, he said, can differ from those of people using traditional drug and alcohol services. [2]

Quelch said symptoms were not always linked to ketamine use when young people sought help from GPs or accident and emergency departments. He added that there was still little provision for young people experiencing drug- and alcohol-related harms, and that the longer-term health effects and the scale of the problem remained unclear. [2]

Moore said early intervention in the community was helping reduce the need for detox, and that education in schools, colleges and universities was working. But she also said the centre was continuing to support people who had been using ketamine for several years. [2]

Megan said she was now “getting back to my old self”, but would not know the extent of her bladder damage for some time. The University of South Wales research, backed by UK Research and Innovation, aims to improve referral, assessment and monitoring for people receiving ketamine detoxification and rehabilitation. [Sources 1, 2]