JAMA Psychiatry
September 2, 2026
Diana Orsini, Sara Di Luch, George Tomlinson et al.
Importance Antidepressant efficacy of intravenous (IV) ketamine has been demonstrated in major depressive disorder; however, the efficacy and safety of ketamine for bipolar depression remain largely unknown, with limited data available in this specific population. Objective To evaluate the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of adjunctive IV ketamine compared with midazolam for...
Drug safety
September 2, 2026
You Wang, Alexandra S Storaci, G Caleb Alexander et al.
Treatment-resistant depression (TRD) is associated with elevated suicide risk, but real-world evidence on whether esketamine reduces suicide attempts and intentional self-harm remains limited. The aim was to estimate whether current esketamine exposure was associated with a higher or lower risk of recorded nonfatal, medically attended suicide attempt or intentional self-harm among adults with...
Indian Journal of Psychiatry
September 1, 2026
Anand Prakash, Pranab Mahapatra, Jigyansa I. Pattnaik et al.
ABSTRACT Background: The 4–12 week lag period of conventional antidepressants creates critical vulnerability in severe depression, with peak suicide risk during the first month. While ketamine research has focused on treatment-resistant populations, its potential to eliminate this lag period in non-treatment-resistant severe depression remains unexplored. Aims: To evaluate whether add-on...
The International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology
September 1, 2026
A Nunes, J E Cunningham, B Leden et al.
Abstract Background Use of intravenous ketamine or intranasal esketamine for depression is frequently limited due to resource requirements and cost. Alternative treatment models have used oral, sublingual or intranasal racemic ketamine, but optimal doses and frequency of administration remain unclear. Dosing modelled from the standard 0.5-1.0mg/kg twice weekly IV ketamine result in transient...
The International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology
September 1, 2026
S Makhoul, N Abdulameer
Abstract Background Esketamine intranasal spray is FDA-approved for treatment-resistant depression (TRD), but it is not licensed for use in bipolar disorder due to the risk of antidepressants inducing manic or hypomanic episodes. To date, there is limited data on the use of intranasal esketamine in bipolar disorder, and no previous reports of using esketamine as an add-on treatment in patients...
The International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology
September 1, 2026
Abstract Background Antidepressant effects of ketamine and esketamine are short lived, often lasting only weeks after multiple treatments. With that in mind, it has been considered addition of psychotherapy may enhance outcomes. One approach, knows as Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP) focuses on "integration " of the dissociative experience induced by ketamine, and suggests this may produce...
The Brown University Psychopharmacology Update
September 1, 2026
A systematic review and meta‐analysis encompassing 26 ran‐domized controlled trials (RCTs) has concluded that both single and repeated infusions of ketamine significantly improve suicidality and depressive symptoms in patients with a major depressive episode. Most of the serious adverse events that were reported in the included trials were determined to be unrelated to study treatment.
Medical Science
August 30, 2026
Julia Rogała, Kinga Polityńska, Dominika Ruszel et al.
Treatment-resistant depression occurs in roughly one-third of individuals diagnosed with depression.Ketamine and esketamine have appeared as innovative antidepressant treatments that target the glutamatergic system and deliver promising therapeutic options for patients unresponsive to conventional monoaminergic antidepressants.This review delivers a complete analysis of the mechanisms of...
Bipolar Disorders
August 30, 2026
Chih‐Cheng Lin, Lien‐chung Wei
OBJECTIVES: To contextualize the real-world findings of repeated intravenous ketamine infusions for treatment-resistant bipolar depression (TRBPD) and identify priorities for safer, more durable clinical implementation. METHODS: We provide a focused commentary on Zhou et al. (2023) and integrate selected evidence concerning inflammatory and metabolic correlates, neurocognitive outcomes, and...
European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience
August 29, 2026
Esketamine-based treatment, depression-specific metacognitive training, and their combination in treatment-resistant depression: 6-month trajectories of depressive symptoms and rumination in a multicenter observational study.