Psychiatry Research
June 1, 2025
Flávia Vieira, Ana Teresa Caliman-Fontes, Breno Souza-Marques et al.
Assessment measures for suicidal behavior range from depression scales to longer suicide-specific instruments. In this review, we systematically summarize and discuss the currently used instruments for assessing suicidal behavior in the context of ketamine and its enantiomers. We searched Medline/PubMed, Embase, and PsycINFO databases for ketamine (and its enantiomers) human studies exploring...
Trends in Psychiatry and Psychotherapy
May 27, 2025
Mariana V F Echegaray, Rodrigo P Mello, Guilherme M. Magnavita et al.
11 citations
Abstract Objective Ketamine and esketamine have both shown significant antidepressant effects in treatment-resistant depression (TRD) and conflicting evidence suggests that dissociation induced by these drugs could be a clinical predictor of esketamine/ketamine's efficacy. Methods This study is a secondary analysis of data from a two-center, randomized, controlled trial. Participants were...
Bipolar Disorder
2025
Breno Souza-Marques, Ana Teresa Caliman-Fontes, Gustavo C. Leal et al.
Despite the availability of many treatment options, several individuals with bipolar disorders experience persistent symptoms, necessitating the exploration of novel therapeutic approaches. In recent years, there has been a growing interest in repurposing drugs of abuse, such as stimulants, ketamine, and psychedelics, for the treatment of bipolar disorders. While some of these drugs have...
Journal of Psychiatric Research
August 1, 2023
Igor D. Bandeira, Gustavo C. Leal, Fernanda S. Correia-Melo et al.
There are significantly fewer options for the treatment of bipolar depression than major depressive disorder, with an urgent need for alternative therapies. In this pilot study, we treated six subjects with bipolar disorder types I and II (according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) criteria) who had been in a current depressive episode for at...
Journal of Affective Disorders
June 1, 2023
Gustavo C. Leal, Breno Souza-Marques, Rodrigo P Mello et al.
Racemic ketamine is a mixture of (R)-ketamine (arketamine) and (S)-ketamine (esketamine), with the latter regarded as the main isomer for antidepressant effects. However, preclinical data and one open-label human trial suggest arketamine might exert a more potent and longer-lasting antidepressant effect with fewer side effects. We aimed to explore the feasibility of a randomized controlled...
Human Psychopharmacology
February 18, 2022
A. P. Jesus-Nunes, Gustavo C. Leal, Fernanda S. Correia-Melo et al.
39 citations
Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a leading cause of disability worldwide and most people do not achieve symptom remission. Treatment‐resistant depression (TRD) is characterized by the failure of at least one adequate trial of a major class of antidepressant, with adequate time and dosage. We aimed to identify clinical predictors of depressive symptom remission and response 24 h and 7 days...
Journal of Psychiatric Research
May 8, 2021
Rodrigo P Mello, Mariana V F Echegaray, A. P. Jesus-Nunes et al.
22 citations
Dissociative symptoms are common, possibly severe, side effects associated with the use of ketamine and esketamine in depression. We investigated the relationship between trait dissociation and dissociation induced by ketamine and esketamine used as augmentation therapy in treatment-resistant depression (TRD). Adults with TRD were randomly assigned to receive a single intravenous infusion, with...