Member-only story
COVID-19 Pandemic Study of Ketamine Amplifies Antidepressant Potential
New research finds that intravenous ketamine remains an effective treatment during the pandemic.
The COVID-19 pandemic has, undoubtedly, changed the way we live in this world. It has not only impacted global physical health, but social isolation and perpetual disconnection have exacerbated the mental health crisis. It now seems more vital than ever to explore and apply groundbreaking ways to improve and treat mental health.
A new study has sought to do just this, finding that ketamine remains an effective treatment for individuals with depression, when applied during the coronavirus pandemic. This only further cements the potential of ketamine to improve lives around the world.
The study, published in Psychiatry Research, compared the effectiveness of four intravenous ketamine infusions between two groups. The two groups included 107 adult patients who received the treatment during the coronavirus pandemic (from March 2020 to February 2021), and 160 control patients, who received the infusions a year prior, outside of the coronavirus pandemic. All patients had treatment-resistant depression, meaning that their illness had not previously responded to an average of eight courses of antidepressants.
