Ketamine-Assisted Group Psychotherapy for Frontline Healthcare Workers with COVID-19-Related Burnout and PTSD: A Case Series of Effectiveness/Safety for 10 Participants.
Reid Robison, Madeline Brendle, Claire Moore, Hannah Cross, Lindsay Helm, Shannon Darling, Stephen Thayer, Paul Thielking, Scott Shannon
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs 2024 DOI: 10.1080/02791072.2023.2186285 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Case series Case report Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 10 |
| Population | Frontline healthcare workers employed during the COVID-19 pandemic experiencing burnout and PTSD |
| Intervention | Ketamine-assisted psychotherapy |
| Duration | 6-week intervention, 1-month follow-up |
| Topics | Anxiety Depression Ketamine PTSD Esketamine Psychedelic-assisted therapy |
| Keywords | Case series Psychotherapy |
| Key findings | Weekly group KAP produced immediate improvements in PTSD, depression, and anxiety symptoms among 10 frontline healthcare workers. |
Abstract
This study reports on 10 frontline healthcare workers, employed during the COVID-19 pandemic and experiencing symptoms of burnout and PTSD, treated with group ketamine-assisted psychotherapy (KAP) in a private outpatient clinic setting. Participants attended 6 sessions once weekly. These included 1 preparation session, 3 ketamine sessions (2 sublingual, 1 intramuscular), 2 integration sessions. Measures of PTSD (PCL-5), depression (PHQ-9), and anxiety (GAD-7) were administered at baseline and post-treatment. During ketamine sessions, the Emotional Breakthrough Inventory (EBI) and the 30-item Mystical Experience Questionnaire (MEQ-30) were recorded. Participant feedback was gathered 1-month post-treatment. We observed improvements in participants' average PCL-5 (59% reduction), PHQ-9 (58% reduction), and GAD-7 (36% reduction) scores from pre- to post-treatment. At post-treatment, 100% of participants screened negative for PTSD, 90% had minimal/mild depression or clinically significant improvement, and 60% had minimal/mild anxiety or clinically significant improvement. MEQ and EBI scores had large variations among participants at each ketamine session. Ketamine was well tolerated, and no significant adverse events were reported. Participant feedback corroborated findings of improvements observed in mental health symptoms. We found immediate improvements treating 10 frontline healthcare workers experiencing burnout, PTSD, depression, and anxiety using weekly group KAP and integration.
Comparable studies
Other case reports and case series on ketamine for PTSD, most cited first.
Citations in the library
Cited by 10
- The ketamine chameleon: history, pharmacology, and the contested value of experience. Expert Review of Clinical Pharmacology March 1, 2025
- Interventional Psychiatry and Emerging Treatments for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): A Systematic Review. Psychiatry and Clinical Psychopharmacology August 11, 2025
- How Do People Who Undergo Ketamine Treatment for a Psychiatric Problem Subjectively Experience This Intervention? A Meta-Synthesis of Qualitative Studies. International Journal of Mental Health Nursing February 1, 2025
- Ketamine-Assisted Therapy Outcomes for First Responders With Comorbid Mental Health Diagnoses Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine October 17, 2025
- Ketamine-Occasioned Mystical Experience in Veterans with Treatment-Resistant Depression: A Retrospective Exploratory Analysis. Psychedelic Medicine August 1, 2025
and 5 more in the library
Cites 19
- MDMA-assisted therapy for severe PTSD: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase 3 study. Nature Medicine June 1, 2021
- 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
- Validation of the revised Mystical Experience Questionnaire in experimental sessions with psilocybin Journal of Psychopharmacology October 6, 2015
- Efficacy of Intravenous Ketamine for Treatment of Chronic Posttraumatic Stress Disorder JAMA Psychiatry April 16, 2014
- Ketamine and Other NMDA Antagonists: Early Clinical Trials and Possible Mechanisms in Depression American Journal of Psychiatry October 1, 2015
and 14 more in the library