Ketamine in the treatment of bipolar depression
Juliana Chies Galvan, Marina Chies Galvan, Rafael Moreno Ferro de Araújo
Brazilian Journal of Health Review January 28, 2026 DOI: 10.34119/bjhrv9n1-120 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 6 |
| Population | Bipolar depression |
| Intervention | Ketamine |
| Topics | Depression Esketamine Ketamine |
| Key findings | Ketamine appears to be an alternative treatment for bipolar depression when first- and second-line medications are not effective. |
Abstract
Bipolar depression is the most prevalent state throughout the life of the bipolar patient, even so, few studies have focused on the treatment of depression in this population. Between the available medications approved for treatment of bipolar depression, ketamine is an option that must be considered. The purpose of this paper was to review the scientific evidence on the efficacy of using ketamine to treat bipolar depression either as an adjuvant or as monotherapy. This review used data collected from clinical trials published on PUBMED between 2010 and 2021. In total, six studies were found. The results show that ketamine appears to be an alternative treatment for bipolar depression if medications considered as first and second line are not effective, although future studies are necessary.
Comparable studies
Other narrative reviews on ketamine for depression, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Synthesizing the Evidence for Ketamine and Esketamine in Treatment-Resistant Depression: An International Expert Opinion on the Available Evidence and Implementation Adults with treatment-resistant depression | 2021 | Review | |
| Ketamine: a paradigm shift for depression research and treatment | 2019 | Review | |
| Rapid‐acting antidepressant ketamine, its metabolites and other candidates: A historical overview and future perspective | 2019 | Review | |
| Ketamine: A tale of two enantiomers | 2020 | Review | |
| Molecular mechanisms underlying the antidepressant actions of arketamine: beyond the NMDA receptor | 2021 | Review |