Background. Clinical trials have demonstrated that subanesthetic intravenous ketamine exerts antidepressant effects lasting a week or longer postinfusion, as well as antisuicidal effects starting approximately 4 hours postinfusion and lasting 72 hours or longer. These findings have generated considerable enthusiasm within psychiatry. However, reports of treatment-emergent suicide attempts and...
There are many putative mechanisms by which ketamine has its effect and many unanswered questions about risks and benefits of long-term ketamine therapy. A research imperative is the identification of predictors of response to intravenous ketamine, especially a sustained response to maintenance ketamine. Temperament is an inherited aspect of personality and is a predictive factor for outcome in...
Abstract Purpose There is an immediate need for more sustainable, effective therapies for treatment-resistant depression in patients who do not respond to traditional psychopharmacology. The aim of this study was to determine the efficacy and safety of intravenous ketamine infusions on the elderly population by using a case series of 6 geriatric patients with treatment-resistant depression....