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When mood and time align: nasal esketamine reduces lived time disturbances in treatment-resistant depression.

Stefan Jerotić, Milica Nestorovic, Janko Nešić, Anastazja Szuła, Marcin Moskalewicz

International journal of psychiatry in clinical practice July 10, 2025 DOI: 10.1080/13651501.2025.2528692 (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 Two male patients of Serbian ethnicity with treatment-resistant depression
Intervention nasal esketamine
Duration At least 4 weeks
Topics Depression Esketamine Philosophy of mind
Keywords Depression treatment Trd Antidepressant therapy Psychiatric intervention Mental health recovery Time perception Subjective time Temporal experience Sense of time Chronesthesia Clinical assessment Treatment monitoring Outcome measures Early indicators Diagnostic tools Patient evaluation
Citations 3
Key findings TATE scores reached general population levels at week 4, one week prior to treatment response indicated by MADRS in one patient.

Abstract

These two cases highlight the utility of a focused, structured clinical phenomenological interview in measuring treatment effectiveness in subjective experience. Two male patients, aged 35 and 27, of Serbian ethnicity with treatment-resistant depression were treated with nasal esketamine, with clinical progress monitored using both the Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) and the Transdiagnostic Assessment of Temporal Experience (TATE), a structured instrument assessing the patient's felt sense of time. Notably, TATE scores in the first case reached general population levels at week 4, one week prior to the treatment response, as indicated by MADRS. These findings underscore the value of phenomenological assessments in complementing traditional depression scales to capture nuanced improvements during treatment.

Comparable studies

Other case reports and case series on esketamine 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
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
Disembodiment and Affective Resonances in Esketamine Treatment of Depersonalized Depression Subtype: Two Case Studies. Patients with treatment resistant depression and depersonalized depression symptoms 2024 Case study n = 2

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Depression Esketamine Philosophy of mind

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