A. Burke

2 papers in the library · 428 citations · publishing 2017-2019

Papers

Ketamine for rapid reduction of suicidal thoughts in major depression: a midazolam-controlled randomized clinical trial

American Journal of Psychiatry December 5, 2017 M. Grunebaum, H. Galfalvy, Tse-Hwei Choo et al. 428 citations

A single dose of intravenous ketamine, added to usual care, reduced suicidal thoughts more than the comparison drug midazolam in adults with major depressive disorder and clinically significant suicidal ideation. Twenty-four hours after infusion, suicidal ideation scores dropped by an average of 4.96 points more with ketamine, and 55% of ketamine-treated patients had at least a 50% reduction in suicidal thoughts compared with 30% of those given midazolam. The benefit was partly independent of improvement in depression and lasted up to six weeks with continued pharmacotherapy. Side effects were short-lived. Ketamine appears to rapidly reduce suicidal ideation in depressed patients, though its mechanism remains unclear.

DOI: 10.1176/appi.ajp.2017.17060647 Full text Medicine

A brief mindfulness intervention reduces depression, increases nonjudgment, and speeds processing of emotional and neutral stimuli

Mental health & prevention March 1, 2019 S. Sass, L. M. Early, L. Long et al.

A brief mindfulness intervention helped non-treatment-seeking university students with moderate-to-high distress reduce anhedonic depression symptoms and judgment of experiences, and led to more even-handed processing of emotional and neutral information on a reaction-time task, compared to a no-intervention control group. Psychological distress, anxious arousal, and worry decreased, and self-reported mindfulness increased in both groups, suggesting the intervention specifically targets anhedonia and judgment. The findings indicate that brief mindfulness programs may be useful for early intervention and prevention in university settings.

DOI: 10.1016/j.mhp.2018.12.002 Psychology