Ketamine for depression: all studies (page 26)

A Randomized Controlled Trial on the Efficacy of Ketamine vs. Electroconvulsive Therapy in Severe Depression with Suicidal Ideation.

Neuropsychobiology February 5, 2026 Lavanya Seth, Jitendriya Biswal, Surjeet Sahoo et al.

Severe depressive episodes with suicidal ideation present major therapeutic challenges and often require interventions beyond standard antidepressant therapy. Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) remains a cornerstone treatment for refractory depression, while ketamine, an N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist, has emerged as a rapid-acting antidepressant with potential benefits in...

DOI: 10.1159/000550863 Full text

Age-related moderation of adjunctive psychotherapy and early life stress effects on depression symptom reductions following ketamine treatment: Initial insights from a large, naturalistic sample.

Journal of Affective Disorders February 4, 2026 Raquel Kosted, Alli Waddell, Ken Adolph et al.

Ketamine is known to be a rapid-acting antidepressant, but there is limited evidence regarding which types of patients are best-suited to this treatment and whether adjunctive psychotherapy improves outcomes. In a sample of 224 patients who received five ketamine infusions at a private clinic, this study uses Bayesian mixed modeling to examine the effects of early life stress (measured with the...

DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2026.121350 Full text Depression Major depressive disorder Adverse childhood experiences Early life stress +1

Effectiveness of intranasal esketamine in the treatment of patients with treatment-resistant depression: an observational study based on data collected in a Spravato treatment program at the Institute of Living, Hartford, CT.

Psychopharmacology February 2, 2026 Benjamin Anderson, Andrew Winokur, Grace J Chan 1 citation

Major Depressive Disorder is a common and disabling psychiatric illness whose pharmacological treatment options have historically been characterized by relatively low response rates. "Treatment-resistant depression" has emerged to describe patients whose depressive symptoms fail to respond to multiple courses of oral antidepressant medications. In 2019, the FDA approved intranasal esketamine as...

DOI: 10.1007/s00213-026-07016-9 Full text Esketamine Major depressive disorder Treatment resistant depression

Comparative Efficacy and Safety of Ketamine Versus Midazolam for Suicidality: A GRADE-Assessed Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

Brain and Behavior February 1, 2026 Asim Shah, F N U Sawaira, Muneeb Shad Mohmand et al.

Background: Acute suicidality is an emergency psychiatric condition that requires urgent treatment. Traditional treatment approaches, such as antidepressant pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy, take weeks to achieve optimal effectiveness, hence exposing patients in imminent crisis to significant risk. Ketamine is a fast-acting N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist that has been...

DOI: 10.1002/brb3.71255 Full text Ketamine Depression Humans Midazolam +5

Ketamine/esketamine treatment for resistant depression in children and adolescents: a PRISMA systematic review.

European child & adolescent psychiatry February 2026 Konstantinos N Fountoulakis, Paraskevi Tatsiopoulou, Athanasios Saitis et al.

Ketamine and esketamine have been approved as an adjunctive therapy for treatment-resistant major depressive disorder with acute suicidal ideation and behavior in adults. The current paper aimed to systematically review the available data on their efficacy in children and adolescents. The MEDLINE was searched with the keyword 'esketamine' on July 5th, 2024 (by following the PRISMA statement)....

DOI: 10.1007/s00787-025-02897-1 Full text Esketamine Adolescents Children Resistant depression

Hope for Neurotic Disorders: A Summary of New Zealand Research on the Development of Biomarkers and Novel Treatments.

Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand February 1, 2026 Neil McNaughton, Shabah M. Shadli, Ben Beaglehole et al.

The neurotic disorders (e.g., depression, dysthymia, generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, agoraphobia, social anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, and obsessive-compulsive disorder) are costly and difficult to treat. Diagnosis is based on symptoms not biological causes. Here, we summarize New Zealand-based work developing EEG biomarkers and novel treatments. Working at the...

DOI: 10.1002/snz2.70002 Full text Depression Ketamine EEG Anxiety biomarker +1

The Emerging Crisis in Non-Prescribed Ketamine Use: A Rapid Attenuation of Depression in Face of Abuse and "Chill-out" or Escapism Drug.

Substance Use & Misuse February 1, 2026 Kai-Uwe Lewandrowski, Kenneth Blum, Sergio Schmidt et al.

Since 2000, rates of suicide and opioid overdose have sharply increased. Approximately one-third of individuals with major depressive disorder (MDD) experience treatment-resistant depression (TRD), highlighting the urgent need for novel therapeutic approaches. This review synthesizes pivotal preclinical and clinical findings on low-dose ketamine's rapid antidepressant effects and examines...

DOI: 10.1080/10826084.2025.2612330 Full text Ketamine Dopamine Rapid antidepressant effect

Placebo Effects in the Treatment of Depression-Implications for the Psychedelic Renaissance.

Neurologic Clinics February 1, 2026 Mina Ansari, Sophie I Elliott, Sophie E Holmes et al. 1 citation

The development of novel, rapid-acting treatments and the resurgence of interest in the therapeutic potential of psychedelic-like compounds has stimulated excitement and enthusiasm within the pharmaceutical industry, and provided new hope for millions of individuals suffering with mental illness such as major depressive disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder. This review summarizes the...

DOI: 10.1016/j.ncl.2025.08.009 Full text Ketamine MDMA Psilocybin Psychedelic therapy +6

Multimodal rapid anti-depression: Esketamine combined with dexmedetomidine patient-controlled sleep for treatment-resistant depression - A retrospective study.

Journal of Affective Disorders January 30, 2026 Yao-Zu Li, Cai-Qun Zhao, Mu-Yan Zuo et al.

To evaluate the efficacy and safety of a multimodal rapid anti-depression therapy that combines esketamine treatment with dexmedetomidine patient-controlled sleep (PCSL) in patients with treatment-resistant depression (TRD). We retrospectively included 233 patients with TRD who received the multimodal treatment. Baseline clinical characteristics were collected. Follow-up assessments were...

DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2026.121311 Full text Esketamine Treatment-resistant depression Dexmedetomidine Multimodal rapid anti-depression +1

Prophylactic esketamine to reduce postpartum depression in primiparae: A multicentre, double-blind, randomised clinical trial.

European journal of anaesthesiology January 29, 2026 Tiantian Chu, Xiaoling Peng, Keliang Wan et al. 2 citations

Postpartum depression (PPD) is a common complication after childbirth, especially in primiparae. This trial sought to evaluate whether prophylactic administration of esketamine during the perinatal period could prevent PPD in primiparae without predisposition to prenatal depression. A prospective, double-blind, multicentre, randomised controlled trial. Three academic hospitals. Primiparae...

DOI: 10.1097/EJA.0000000000002348 Full text