Ketamine shows long‐term benefit in patients with treatment‐resistant depression
The Brown University Psychopharmacology Update May 1, 2026 DOI: 10.1002/pu.31440 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Patients with treatment-resistant depression |
| Interventions | Ketamine Esketamine |
| Duration | 6-month period |
| Topics | Depression Esketamine Ketamine |
| Key findings | Ketamine or esketamine treatments led to a substantial reduction in emergency department visits for suicidality over six months, with a 56.7% response rate for depression symptoms after the acute phase. |
Abstract
Patients with treatment‐resistant depression who received a series of treatments with ketamine or esketamine showed a substantial reduction in emergency department visits related to suicidality over a 6‐month period, a study has found. Study participants had a 56.7% response rate of depression symptoms following the acute phase of treatment.
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 |