Dr Caleb Armstrong

I grew up in small towns in the North Island of New Zealand and completed my medical training in Auckland. During my early career I worked in a range of medical settings in Australia and New Zealand, including general medicine, emergency medicine and intensive care in rural and city hospitals. During this time I realised that the most interesting aspect of health to me was the mental health of my patients.

Returning to New Zealand to train in psychiatry, began working in Tauranga in 2006 and completed my psychiatric training whilst working in Alice Springs. I pursued further training in forensic psychiatry and child and adolescent psychiatry and embarked upon a private psychiatry career in 2013. This has been an incredibly rewarding part of my career and led me to become a part owner of a large Auckland practice and to set up Anteris, a practice aimed at helping health professionals to begin or continue their private careers as they mean to go on. In addition to this my years in Auckland have allowed me to form ties to the University of Auckland as an honorary senior lecturer and to hone my expertise as an expert witness.

Amongst my clinical interests is ketamine, a relatively novel therapy for treatment resistant depression. With the guidance and mentorship of a small community of psychiatrists in Australasia I have been able to pioneer the use of oral ketamine therapy in New Zealand.

I make use of my experience and qualifications to form a collaborative problem solving relationship with my patients in the private setting of Anteris Tauranga or the patients own home if they choose a telehealth option. I welcome the involvement of the patient's GP in a comprehensive treatment plan.

Description of Specialisation
Services offered include Anxiety Disorders
Mood Disorders (Depression, Bipolar Disorder) Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
Psychosis (Schizophrenia & related conditions) Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
ACC Mental Injury Assessments
Medico-legal Reports (Pre-sentencing reports, Fitness to Stand Trial, & other psychiatric questions within a legal framework) Stress & Workplace Issues

Mental Health Assessment and Treatment

Neurotherapies Mood Disorder and Anxiety Clinic

The Neurotherapies Mood Disorder and Anxiety Clinic was founded to provide patients with treatment-resistant anxiety and depression the opportunity to trial treatment with oral ketamine or intranasal esketamine (Spravato) in a clinic dedicated to providing this service.

We understand that these are new treatments - Spravato was approved by Medsafe very recently, in 2019 - and you may have questions or feedback about the following information. Please dont hesitate to contact us on 07 282 7579 or email office@neurotherapies.nz - we are always happy to talk through the service we provide and how it may help your patients.

Ketamine in Mental Health Treatment - who is it for?
Ketamine is reserved for patients with treatment resistant depression or anxiety. Treatment resistance is defined by a failure to respond adequately to a trial of two different medications. Many patients with these conditions are managed by general practitioners alone, sometimes after having failed to respond to multiple medications. Around 70% of patients with treatment resistant depression and anxiety will have an excellent response, and this can be maintained for the long term in about 50% of patients with appropriate guidance and support.

Who should not have oral ketamine or Spravato?
Pregnant women, those with a history of ketamine abuse or addiction, patients with psychotic symptoms, or active substance abuse should not have treatment with ketamine. Uncontrolled hypertension and medical frailty are also contraindications to the use of ketamine.

What is NMDA?
The Neurotherapies Mood Disorder and Anxiety Clinic is a dedicated ketamine clinic based in Tauranga. We accept referrals from doctors nationwide, but the treatment does require a titration appointment in Tauranga. Initial assessments can be carried out in person or via audiovisual link. We undertake a very thorough assessment using a tailored online questionnaire to support clinical decision making. We offer a package over three months aimed at finding the minimum dose and frequency of treatment and offer support to psychiatrists, GPs and patients to help find the optimal response.

Where can I find out more?
More information is available at www.ketamine.nz and at our website www.nmda.nz.

How do I make a referral?
Simply email a referral to office@neurotherapies.nz or make a referral to Dr Caleb Armstrong using the SR system

To book an appointment with one of our doctors we will need a referral from your GP or a psychologist.

1. In order for our automated systems to acknowledge receipt of this referral to your patient, please provide their email address.

2. If your patient requires an assessment for ADHD, please provide a comment on cardiovascular health along with current blood pressure and heart rate wherever possible.