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Ketamine as an alternative to ECT in catatonia in elderly women with bipolar disorder: A case report.

Shanthi Sarma, Arulmathy Arunachalam, Memunatu Kamara, Grace Branjerdporn

Frontiers in Psychiatry 2023 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1138772 (opens in new tab)

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Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Case study Case report Peer reviewed
Sample size 2
Population Patients with catatonic depression in bipolar disorder referred for ECT
Topics Depression Ketamine Esketamine
Keywords Covid-19 Bipolar disorder Catatonia Electroconvulsive therapy ect
Citations 6
Key findings Intravenous ketamine resolved catatonic symptoms in two patients with bipolar disorder who were not medically fit for ECT.

Abstract

The following paper described two cases of patients with catatonic depression in bipolar disorder (BD) referred to our electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) service. Both were deemed not medically fit for ECT, and were, instead, treated with intravenous (IV) ketamine. Both responded with a resolution of symptoms, returning to baseline level of functioning. During the COVID-19 pandemic, given the risks associated with providing ECT (an aerosol generating procedure) and, in the context of limited resources, ketamine therapy for catatonia is a potentially beneficial alternative or supportive treatment to ECT that merits additional research.

Comparable studies

Other case reports and case series on ketamine for depression, most cited first.

Study Year Design Participants
Electroconvulsive Therapy, Ketamine, and Esketamine in a Patient with Major Depressive Disorder and Multiple Comorbidities: A Case Report over 10-year Treatment from Adolescence to Adulthood. A patient with treatment-resistant depression and comorbid generalized anxiety... 2025 Case report n = 1
A longitudinal case series of IM ketamine for patients with severe and enduring eating disorders and comorbid treatment‐resistant depression Patients with enduring eating disorders and treatment-resistant depression 2021 Case series n = 4
Effects of intranasal (S)-ketamine on Veterans with co-morbid treatment-resistant depression and PTSD: A retrospective case series Veterans with co-morbid depression and PTSD 2022 Retrospective case series n = 35
Case report: Intramuscular ketamine or intranasal esketamine as a treatment in four patients with major depressive disorder and comorbid anorexia nervosa Patients with anorexia nervosa and a comorbid depressive disorder treated at a private... 2023 Case report n = 4
Repeated oral esketamine in patients with treatment resistant depression and comorbid posttraumatic stress disorder Patients with treatment-resistant depression and comorbid PTSD 2023 Case series n = 5

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