Depression

Ketamine therapy for treatment-resistant depression in European national health systems may only be considered after attempting all evidence-based antidepressant strategies outlined in clinical guidelines. This paper seeks to explain the ethical, regulatory and procedural framework for the off-label use of ketamine for treatment-resistant depression within a public healthcare system.Declaration of interestNone.

A growing body of literature has shown the effectiveness of ketamine for treating chronic depression. How long the beneficial effects of repeated ketamine last once infusions are stopped, however, remains largely unknown. Understanding the challenges that ensue after ketamine cessation can help clinicians optimally guide patients who opt for ketamine treatment and minimize the associated risks. In this commentary, we discuss some unexpected data gathered from participants of a pilot study on the effects of adjunctive ketamine infusion for resistant depression...

BACKGROUND: Ketamine and its enantiomers have recently been highlighted as one of the most effective therapeutic options in refractory depression. However, racemic ketamine and esketamine have not been directly compared. The aim of this study is to assess the efficacy and safety of esketamine compared to ketamine in patients with treatment-resistant depression (TRD). METHODS: This is a randomized, double-blind, active-controlled, bicentre, non-inferiority clinical trial, with two parallel groups...

OBJECTIVE: Pharmacotherapy to rapidly relieve suicidal ideation in depression may reduce suicide risk. Rapid reduction in suicidal thoughts after ketamine treatment has mostly been studied in patients with low levels of suicidal ideation. The authors tested the acute effect of adjunctive subanesthetic intravenous ketamine on clinically significant suicidal ideation in patients with major depressive disorder. METHOD: In a randomized clinical trial, adults (N=80) with current major depressive disorder and a score ≥4 on the Scale for Suicidal Ideation (SSI), of whom 54% (N=43) were taking antidepressant medication, were randomly assigned to receive ketamine or midazolam infusion...

BACKGROUND: The dissociative anesthetic agent ketamine is increasingly being utilized to treat depression, despite not having FDA (Food and Drug Administration) approval for this indication. There are many questions about the potential risks of this treatment and hence the proper setting and degree of monitoring required to ensure patient safety. There is limited data about the cardiovascular safety of ketamine when administered at subanesthetic doses to treat depression. METHODS: 66 patients in the Department of Psychiatry at Emory University received a total of 684 ketamine infusions between 2014 and 2016...

Ketamine, administered in subanesthetic doses, is gaining recognition as an off-label treatment for severe and even treatment-refractory depression. This article explores potential pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic drug interactions of relevance to the use of ketamine in depression. Sparse evidence suggests that ketamine will not induce clinically significant drug interactions except to the extent that these are predictable by its clinical actions. A small body of literature indicates that drugs that induce cytochrome P450 (CYP)2B6 and CYP3A4 will reduce exposure to ketamine and that drugs that inhibit these enzymes will increase exposure to ketamine...

BACKGROUND: Ketamine, administered in subanesthetic doses, is an effective off-label treatment for severe and even treatment-refractory depression; however, despite dozens of studies across nearly 2 decades of research, there is no definitive guidance on matters related to core practice issues. METHODS: This article presents a qualitative review and summary about what is known about ketamine dosing, rate of administration, route of administration, duration of treatment, and frequency of sessions...

Ketamine is an anesthetic drug that is also used for off-label indications such as the mediation of analgesia and sedation in various settings. It is additionally recognized as an agent with antidepressant potential. For depression, it is most commonly administered as a slow intravenous infusion in subanesthetic doses (usually 0.5 mg/kg). As an antidepressant, is strikingly different from conventional antidepressant drugs in that it brings about rapid and marked attenuation of depressive symptoms even in patients with refractory depression...

There is a substantial body of literature comprising anecdotal material and descriptions of uncontrolled and randomized controlled trials addressing the use of subanesthetic doses of ketamine for the off-label treatment of major depressive episodes. This article examines diagnostic indications for the off-label use of ketamine as an antidepressant and possible contexts in which ketamine may be trialled. Ketamine is indicated in patients who are in a major depressive episode. Most of the research data have been collected from patients with major depressive disorder, but patients with bipolar depression have also been studied...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

OBJECTIVES: To provide guidance for the management of mood disorders, based on scientific evidence supplemented by expert clinical consensus and formulate recommendations to maximise clinical salience and utility. METHODS: Articles and information sourced from search engines including PubMed and EMBASE, MEDLINE, PsycINFO and Google Scholar were supplemented by literature known to the mood disorders committee (MDC) (e.g., books, book chapters and government reports) and from published depression and bipolar disorder guidelines...

Major unipolar depression is a significant global health problem, with the highest incident risk being during adolescence. A depressive illness during this period is associated with negative long-term consequences including suicide, additional psychiatric comorbidity, interpersonal relationship problems, poor educational performance and poor employment attainment well into adult life. Despite previous safety concerns, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) remain a key component of the treatment of moderate to severe depression episodes in adolescents...

In 2004, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a black-box warning on antidepressants indicating that they were associated with an increased risk of suicidal thinking, feeling, and behavior in young people. The agency's decision was immediately controversial: many members of the medical..

No abstract text is available yet for this article.