Speed of response to electroconvulsive therapy compared with ketamine
C. Kellner, S. Lisanby, Richard D. Weiner, J. Prudic, M. Rudorfer, Robert C. Young, G. Petrides, W. McCall, M. Husain, Robert M. Greenberg, R. Knapp
Psychiatry Research January 30, 2015 DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2014.08.021 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Commentary Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Esketamine Ketamine |
| Key points | Argues that a one-week comparison between ketamine and ECT, such as the 18-patient study by Ghasemi et al., cannot establish that ketamine is clinically superior or faster than ECT in real-world treatment aimed at lasting remission, and notes that the ECT response in that study was slower than expected. |
Abstract
Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) has long been regarded as the standard for quick antidepressant response. Recently, ketamine has been touted as an even faster antidepressant, notably in the report by Ghasemi et al. (2014) in which 18 patients (nine in each group) were given three intravenous ketamine infusions or three ECT treatments and followed for 1 week (Ghasemi et al., 2014). While the response to ketamine is impressive, it should be kept in mind that such a 1-week comparison with ECT cannot be interpreted as showing that ketamine is either clinically superior or faster than ECT as a real-world treatment, in which lasting remission is the goal. Furthermore, the ECT response in the Ghasemi et al. study is not as rapid as expected.
Citations in the library
Cited by 2
- Pharmacokinetics, Safety, and Tolerability of (R)-Ketamine Hydrochloride Injection, a Novel Rapid-Acting Antidepressant, in Healthy Chinese Subjects. Pharmaceuticals July 21, 2025
- Treatment-resistant major depression: Systematic review of comparative efficacy of electroconvulsive therapy and ketamine Physiology International January 30, 2025