A case series of group-based ketamine-assisted psychotherapy for patients in residential treatment for eating disorders with comorbid depression and anxiety disorders.
Reid Robison, Adele Lafrance, Madeline Brendle, Michelle Smith, Claire Moore, Sachin Ahuja, Scott Richards, Nicole Hawkins, Erin Strahan
Journal of Eating Disorders May 6, 2022 DOI: 10.1186/s40337-022-00588-9 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Case series Case report Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 5 |
| Population | Patients in intensive residential eating disorder treatment with comorbid mood and anxiety disorders |
| Intervention | Group-based ketamine-assisted psychotherapy (G-KAP) |
| Duration | 4 weeks |
| Topics | Anxiety Depression Ketamine Esketamine Psychedelic-assisted therapy |
| Keywords | Case series Psychotherapy |
| Key findings | Four of five participants showed clinically significant improvement in depression, and two of five in anxiety, after four weekly group ketamine-assisted psychotherapy sessions. |
Abstract
Depression and anxiety outcome measures, safety/tolerability, patient satisfaction, and ease of implementation of group-based ketamine-assisted psychotherapy (G-KAP) delivered to patients in intensive residential eating disorder (ED) treatment were assessed. This study reports on five participants with a diagnosis of an ED and comorbid mood and anxiety disorders who received weekly intramuscular ketamine injections in a group setting over 4 weeks. Measures of anxiety (GAD-7) and depression (PHQ-9) were administered pre-dose, 4-h post-dose, and 24-h post dose. Four of the 5 participants experienced clinically significant improvements on the PHQ-9 score (i.e., change greater than 5) while 2 of the 5 participants experienced clinically significant improvements on the GAD-7 score (i.e., change greater than 4) from pre-dose to 24-h post-dose after the last ketamine session. Dosing sessions were well tolerated, and no serious adverse events were reported. Clinical observations and participant reports corroborated improvements in depression and anxiety symptoms, good tolerability of ketamine treatment, and practical implementation of the G-KAP protocol in a residential ED treatment center. This study suggests the potential utility of G-KAP as an adjunct to intensive, specialized ED treatment. Overall, this novel, cross-diagnostic intervention warrants future research to further explore its appropriateness in a treatment setting.
Comparable studies
Other case reports and case series on ketamine and psychedelic-assisted therapy, most cited first.