From our survey

The veteran market in depression care is not what you think

Walk through almost any ketamine clinic website and you will find the same cues: camouflage, a flag, a line about honoring those who served. The implied belief is that veterans and first responders are the core of the market and that specialization is what brings them in.

We checked some of those beliefs against data from our commissioned survey, answered by 443 Midwest adults. Several did not hold up. This myth-check is for primary care physicians and other referrers who want an accurate picture of where military-connected patients fit, so their referrals are based on evidence rather than marketing.

Each figure is top-line, drawn from the panel's final validated data. Veterans or first responders themselves numbered only 29, too few to break out, so nothing here describes how they answered any question.

Myth: "Veteran specialization is what patients look for first."

What we found: Asked to name the two things that would matter most in choosing a provider, 10 percent chose "specializes in veterans and first responders." It came last among the six options offered. Coverage by insurance was chosen by 85 percent, proximity by 43 percent, FDA approval by 27 percent, and fast results by 24 percent. Even privacy and discretion, at 11 percent, edged out specialization.

What it means: In a broad adult sample, specialty branding is a minor factor. Coverage, distance, and legitimacy are the major ones. That may be different for people who served, but the data cannot tell us.

Myth: "Military coverage is a big share of the depression care market."

What we found: TRICARE accounted for 5 percent of reported coverage. Commercial plans led at 39 percent, Medicaid followed closely at 37 percent, and Medicare came in at 23 percent.

What it means: TRICARE matters to the patients who have it, and getting its referral rules right is important. But a referral network built around military coverage alone will miss most patients, and a clinic that bills TRICARE but not Medicaid may be poorly matched to much of the community.

Myth: "Veterans get this care somewhere else, so civilian referrers are out of the loop."

What we found: More than half of all respondents, 56 percent, would start with primary care if they wanted ketamine or esketamine treatment.

What it means: We cannot say how the veterans in the sample answered. We can say that a primary care physician is the default first stop for most people, and that many veterans carry an employer plan, Medicare, Medicaid, or TRICARE and see civilian clinicians for everyday care. The civilian referrer is often in the loop whether they realize it or not.

Myth: "Veteran influencers are the best way to reach this group."

What we found: As the most persuasive voice for trying this treatment, social media personalities from the veteran or first responder world drew 4 percent of respondents; their own doctor drew 74 percent.

What it means: Peer voices may help reduce stigma and open conversations. But in this sample, the clinician's recommendation was the decisive factor by a wide margin. Referrers should not assume that outreach campaigns will do the work that their own direct recommendation can do.

Myth: "Military-connected people in the population are mostly service members."

What we found: In our sample, 2 percent had served or were serving and 4 percent were first responders, which comes to 29 people, roughly 7 percent of the sample. Far more, 29 percent, were parents or other kin of someone in those roles, and spouses or partners added 6 percent.

What it means: The military-connected population a referrer encounters is largely made up of families. They may be patients themselves, they often manage appointments and benefits, and they can be powerful allies in getting a reluctant service member to care.

Myth: "Ketamine for veterans means treating PTSD."

Reality: Spravato, the brand of esketamine, has an FDA approval for adults with treatment-resistant depression and is given in certified centers that monitor patients afterward. It is not FDA-approved for PTSD. Off-label ketamine, including at-home programs aimed at veterans, lacks FDA approval for either depression or PTSD.

Many veterans live with both conditions, and depression that has not responded to treatment is a legitimate reason to discuss esketamine. But a referral should be clear about what it is for. PTSD typically calls for trauma-focused therapy and evidence-based medication as core treatments. A plain explanation of what Spravato is approved for helps set that boundary.

Myth: "Veterans will pay whatever it takes to get specialized care fast."

What we found: Across the full sample, a slim majority preferred covered care with more hoops over paying themselves for a simpler path. Twenty-three percent leaned toward paying directly, and 26 percent could not decide. Coverage was a deciding or big factor for 65 percent.

What it means: Veterans specifically were too few to report on their own. We do know that coverage-first thinking is widespread, and that cash-pay programs marketed to veterans should get the same scrutiny as any other.

Why these myths persist

Marketing is visible and data is not. A clinic's veteran imagery is on every billboard, while the priorities of the broader patient population rarely get measured at all. Referrers absorb the message by repetition. The corrective is simple: check the assumption against what patients actually say, and let coverage, distance, and clinical fit lead.

What to do instead

• Ask every patient whether they or someone at home has served or works as a first responder.
• Choose referral destinations on coverage fit, distance, approval status, and clinical capability, not on branding.
• Know the basics of TRICARE referral rules and prior authorization on employer and Medicaid plans, or know whom to call.
• Be exact about what esketamine is and is not approved for.
• Use your own recommendation deliberately. It carries more weight than any ad.

For patients and families in crisis, the number to share is 988, the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, open any time by call or text; for veterans there is a press-1 option.

Methodology

Pollfish's consumer panel carried our survey to its June 23, 2026 close; the 443 people who responded were 18 to 64 and came from Wisconsin, Kansas, Illinois, Oklahoma, Missouri, Nebraska, Minnesota, Iowa, Ohio, and Indiana. Top-line percentages only, from the final validated data; the service-member group was too small to break out. The payer question was multi-select. All results are final. Our publisher commissioned this study and paid the full bill for it. Nothing in this myth-check should be taken as clinical direction or as a ruling on anyone's benefits.