Intravenous Ketamine Treatment for Depression: One-year Retrospective Study from a Tertiary Care Psychiatry Center from India.
Ekta Yadav, Bheemsain Tekkalaki, Kavita P Gadadavar, Vishwas Yadawad, Sameeran S Chate, Sandeep Patil, Vinayak Koparde
Indian Journal of Psychological Medicine April 29, 2025 DOI: 10.1177/02537176251334446 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Retrospective chart review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 28 |
| Population | Patients with depression receiving ketamine infusion therapy at a tertiary care hospital |
| Intervention | Ketamine infusion therapy |
| Topics | Depression Esketamine Ketamine |
| Keywords | Ketamine infusion therapy Suicidal ideation Depression therapy Ketamine therapy Suicide prevention Mental health treatment |
| Citations | 2 |
| Key findings | Ketamine infusion therapy as an adjunct treatment significantly reduced depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation in patients with major depressive disorder. |
Abstract
Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a debilitating mental health condition characterized by significant morbidity and mortality. The emergence of ketamine infusion therapy has provided a promising, rapidly acting treatment option. We aimed to assess the effectiveness of ketamine infusion therapy as an adjunct treatment in patients with depression and to study the patient's profile undergoing ketamine therapy in a real-world clinical setting. This was a retrospective chart review. A total of 28 patients with depression who received ketamine infusion therapy at a tertiary care hospital were included in this retrospective analysis. The Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD) was utilized to assess depressive symptomatology. A statistically significant reduction in HAMD scores was observed post-treatment (P < .0001). Notably, 53.6% of patients achieved a therapeutic response (≥50% decrease in HAMD score), while 39.3% attained remission (HAMD score < 7) after an average of 4.6 ketamine infusions. Furthermore, a substantial decrease in suicidal ideation was observed in 71.4% of patients. The finding of this study indicates that ketamine infusion therapy is safe and effective as a rapidly acting adjunct treatment for depression.
Comparable studies
Other observational and cohort studies on ketamine for depression, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Concomitant BDNF and sleep slow wave changes indicate ketamine-induced plasticity in major depressive disorder Patients with treatment-resistant major depressive disorder | 2012 | Observational cohort | n = 30 |
| Altered peripheral immune profiles in treatment-resistant depression: response to ketamine and prediction of treatment outcome Healthy controls and actively depressed patients with treatment-resistant depression... | 2017 | Observational cohort | n = 59 |
| Clinical Predictors of Ketamine Response in Treatment-Resistant Major Depression Treatment-resistant inpatients with DSM-IV-TR-diagnosed major depressive disorder or... | 2014 | Post hoc analysis of pooled data from four studies | n = 108 |
| An investigation of amino-acid neurotransmitters as potential predictors of clinical improvement to ketamine in depression Drug-free patients with major depressive disorder | 2011 | Observational cohort | n = 14 |
| Efficacy of ketamine therapy in the treatment of depression Drug-free/naïve men with severe depression, no history of psychotic disorder, head... | 2019 | Observational cohort | n = 25 |