npj Mental Health Research
July 27, 2026
J. Swainson, P. Grewal, S. Polard et al.
This scoping review maps literature for use of ketamine or esketamine with psychotherapy for depression or depressive symptoms. Forty-seven studies were identified including 4/47 (9%) randomized controlled trials, 4/47 (9%) open label trials, 27/47 (57%) observational or retrospective studies, and 12/47 (26%) individual case reports. Studies were categorized as Ketamine/Esketamine Combined with...
Can J Psychiatry
October 28, 2025
Jennifer Swainson, Elisa Brietzke, Atul Khullar et al.
2 citations
There has been a renewed interest in the use of various psychedelic agents as potential therapies for multiple psychiatric conditions, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), major depressive disorder (MDD), generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), to name a few. This follows the recent accumulation of evidence for ketamine pharmacotherapy and a rapid proliferation of clinics/programs...
Trends in Psychiatry and Psychotherapy
2025
Elena Koning, Marco Solmi, Elisa Brietzke
4 citations
Psychedelics are a group of psychoactive substances that produce complex and subjective changes to consciousness and carry unique safety considerations. There is a growing body of work investigating the use of psychedelics in mental health treatment alongside increasing socio-cultural and political acceptance. This rapid evolution has prompted corporations to fund psychedelic clinical trials,...
Trends in Psychiatry and Psychotherapy
2025
Elena Koning, Pedro Starzynski Bacchi, Cristiano Chaves et al.
Although each PAP model differs, both may have clinical relevance in depression treatment. Future work should explore the standardized reporting of psychological interventions in PAP and comparative study designs to better evaluate non-specific and specific models and inform treatment guidelines.
Journal of Eating Disorders
December 27, 2024
Elena Koning, Cristiano Chaves, Elisa Brietzke et al.
2 citations
Eating disorders (EDs) are a group of debilitating mental illnesses characterized by maladaptive eating behaviors and severe cognitive-emotional dysfunction, directly affecting 1-3% of the population. Standard treatments are not effective in approximately one third of ED cases, representing the need for scientific advancement. There is emerging evidence for the safety and efficacy of...
CNS Spectrums
November 21, 2024
Elena Koning, Elvina M Chu, Elisa Brietzke
5 citations
Psychedelics are a group of psychoactive substances that alter consciousness and produce marked shifts in sensory perception, cognition, and mood. Although psychedelics have been used by indigenous communities for centuries, they have only recently been investigated as an adjunctive therapeutic tool in psychotherapy. Since the early twentieth century, psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy has been...
Front Psychiatry
November 6, 2024
Cristiano Chaves, Rafael G. Dos Santos, Serdar Dursun et al.
11 citations
"Iracema comes with the pot full of the green liquor. The shaman decrees the dreams to each warrior and distributes the wine of jurema, which carries the brave Tabajara to heaven." José de Alencar, in his poetic novel “Iracema” (1865)1. IntroductionThe "wine of jurema", used in ancient Brazilian shamanic rituals, is rich in N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT), a naturally occurring tryptamine like...
Med (New York, N.Y.)
March 8, 2024
Joshua D. Rosenblat, Shakila Meshkat, Zoe Doyle et al.
97 citations
Psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy (PAP) has been associated with antidepressant effects. Trials to date have typically excluded participants with complex presentations. Our aim was to determine the feasibility of PAP in a complex population, including high levels of treatment resistance in major depressive and bipolar disorder and patients with baseline suicidality and significant comorbidity....
Trends in Psychiatry and Psychotherapy
May 1, 2023
Elena Koning, Elisa Brietzke
13 citations
Eating disorders (ED) are a group of potentially severe mental disorders characterized by abnormal energy balance, cognitive dysfunction, and emotional distress. Cognitive inflexibility is a major challenge to successful ED treatment and dysregulated serotonergic function has been implicated in this symptomatic dimension. Moreover, there are few effective treatment options and long-term...
Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences
April 18, 2023
Lucy Chester, L. Valmaggia, M. Kempton et al.
Evidence for case–control studies suggests that cannabis use is a risk factor for the development of psychosis. However, there have been limited prospective studies and the direction of this association remains controversial. The primary aim of the present study was to examine the association between cannabis use and the incidence of psychotic disorders in people at clinical high risk of...
American Journal of Psychiatry
March 17, 2021
Roger S McIntyre, Joshua D. Rosenblat, Charles B. Nemeroff et al.
694 citations
Replicated international studies have underscored the human and societal costs associated with major depressive disorder. Despite the proven efficacy of monoamine-based antidepressants in major depression, the majority of treated individuals fail to achieve full syndromal and functional recovery with the index and subsequent pharmacological treatments. Ketamine and esketamine represent...
The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry
November 11, 2020
Jennifer Swainson, Alexander McGirr, Pierre Blier et al.
109 citations
OBJECTIVE: -methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist, has demonstrated rapid antidepressant effects in patients with TRD. The Canadian Network for Mood and Anxiety Treatments (CANMAT) convened a task force to review the evidence for efficacy and safety of racemic ketamine and to provide recommendations for its use in clinical practice. METHODS: A systematic review was conducted with...
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
April 17, 2018
Carola Rong, Caroline Park, Joshua D. Rosenblat et al.
116 citations
OBJECTIVES: Extant evidence indicates that ketamine exerts rapid antidepressant effects in treatment-resistant depressive (TRD) symptoms as a part of major depressive disorder (MDD) and bipolar disorder (BD). The identification of depressed sub-populations that are more likely to benefit from ketamine treatment remains a priority. In keeping with this view, the present narrative review aims to...