Guidelines for ketamine use in clinical psychiatry practice.
Luke A. Jelen, Rupert McShane, Allan H. Young
BJPsych Open May 10, 2024 DOI: 10.1192/bjo.2024.62 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Editorial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Intervention | Ketamine |
| Topics | Depression Esketamine Ketamine |
| Keywords | Depressive disorders Antidepressants Guidelines Ketamine therapy Mental health treatment Antidepressant medication Clinical protocols |
| Citations | 7 |
| Key points | Argues that ketamine is effective for treatment-resistant depression and that comprehensive guidelines and national registries are needed to ensure its responsible use. |
Abstract
In this editorial, we emphasise the efficacy and challenges of using ketamine in treatment-resistant depression. We highlight the need for comprehensive evidence-based guidelines to manage the use of both licensed and off-licence ketamine formulations and discuss recent efforts by Beaglehole et al to develop ketamine guidelines in New Zealand. We finally advocate for national registries to monitor ketamine therapy, ensuring its responsible and effective use in the management of depression.
Citations in the library
Cited by 6
- Esketamine in depression: putative biomarkers from clinical research. European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience July 13, 2024
- A long, strange trip: Ketamine treatment in psychiatry. Journal of Psychopharmacology October 27, 2025
- Interdisciplinary, Delphi-driven consensus guidelines on the use of intravenous ketamine infusions for depressive disorders from the American Society of Ketamine Physicians, Psychotherapists, and Practitioners (ASKP3). Journal of Affective Disorders May 16, 2026
- Short-term ketamine interventions for depressive disorders: practical best-practice recommendations for psychiatrists using oral, subcutaneous, and nasal formulations Frontiers in Psychiatry September 3, 2026
- Ketamine Use in Self-Described Therapeutic Contexts: A Thematic Analysis of Reddit Posts Behavioral Sciences March 24, 2026
and 1 more in the library
Cites 8
- Synthesizing the Evidence for Ketamine and Esketamine in Treatment-Resistant Depression: An International Expert Opinion on the Available Evidence and Implementation American Journal of Psychiatry March 17, 2021
- A Consensus Statement on the Use of Ketamine in the Treatment of Mood Disorders JAMA Psychiatry March 1, 2017
- Esketamine Nasal Spray Plus Oral Antidepressant in Patients With Treatment-Resistant Depression The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry April 20, 2020
- A Phase 2 Open Label Study of Efficacy, Safety, and Tolerability of SLS-002 (Intranasal Racemic Ketamine) in Adults with MDD at Imminent Risk of Suicide. Psychopharmacology Bulletin March 4, 2024
- Ketamine: A tale of two enantiomers Journal of Psychopharmacology November 6, 2020
and 3 more in the library