European Psychiatry
June 1, 2026
M. P. Rapagnani, L. Veronesi, F. Sartini
Introduction In treatment-resistant depression, commonly defined as a lack of response to two or more consecutive treatments of antidepressants. Esketamine (the S-enantiomer of ketamine) nasal spray, administered in combination with either a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) or a serotonine-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI), is the only treatment approved in Europe...
European Psychiatry
June 1, 2026
I. C. Mândraș, A. L. Comșa
Introduction Suicidality represents a major clinical and public health challenge, particularly among patients with treatment-resistant depression (TRD), who carry a disproportionately high risk of suicide. Traditional antidepressants often have delayed onset and limited efficacy in reducing suicidal ideation in this high-risk population, highlighting the need for rapid-acting interventions....
The Brown University Psychopharmacology Update
June 1, 2026
A two‐year extension of a trial of esketamine nasal spray in patients with treatment‐resistant depression has found no new safety concerns associated with long‐term use of the drug. The overall relapse rate across both the original trial and the extension was 6.9%.
European Psychiatry
June 1, 2026
S. Wong, V. Tsang, Brendan Tao et al.
Introduction Positive feedback from a mental health treatment program that uses treatment adjuncts inspired researchers to assess the potential role of the Apollo Neuro device in mental health outcomes. Objectives To assess the impact of the Apollo Neuro device on anxiety levels in a ketamine-assisted therapy treatment program, comparing those using the device with those not using the device....
European Psychiatry
June 1, 2026
V. Sharma, S. Ather, A. Sič et al.
Introduction Suicide is a leading cause of death in the psychiatric population. The existing modes of treatment (pharmacological and psychotherapeutic) for suicidality are effective but have longer onset, this delay causing a dangerous therapeutic gap in an acute crisis. We compare the two fast-acting treatments, the newer psychopharmacological agent Ketamine and well-established...
BJPsych Open
June 1, 2026
Rebecca Mcknight, Shanthi Sarma
Aims: Treatment-resistant depression (TRD) is common and associated with substantial disability and economic burden. It is estimated to affect over 100 million people worldwide and approximately 2.7 million people in the United Kingdom. Ketamine has emerged as a novel therapy for TRD, with studies demonstrating rapid antidepressant effects. However, ketamine is also used recreationally and can...
European Psychiatry
June 1, 2026
J. Marta, Â. Ferreira, C. Batista et al.
Introduction Treatment-Resistant Depression (TRD) is a major clinical challenge, affecting about 30% of patients with major depressive disorder. It is associated with high morbidity and mortality, reflected in increased suicide risk, hospitalizations, and impaired quality of life. Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) remains the therapeutic gold standard, particularly in severe cases with psychotic...
European Psychiatry
June 1, 2026
A. Kuzma-Hunt, Z. Hamadeh, V. Tsang
Introduction Ketamine-assisted therapy shows rapid benefit in treatment-resistant depression, anxiety, and PTSD (Walsh et al. BJPsych Open 2022;8:e19). The Roots to Thrive Ketamine assisted Therapy (RTT-KaT) program is a unique 12-week program that combines 12 Community of Practice (group therapy) sessions and three ketamine medicine sessions (Tsang et al. Ther Adv Psychopharmacol...
BJPsych Open
June 1, 2026
Roshan Ganeshan, Tharun Zacharia
Aims: Ketamine is an N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist used for anaesthesia and analgesia, with increasing interest in its rapid antidepressant effects. This case evaluates the feasibility, tolerability and clinical response to subcutaneous ketamine in a medically frail older adult with psychotic depression, hypothesising that ketamine would rapidly improve engagement and...
European Psychiatry
June 1, 2026
A. Rami
Introduction Suicidal crisis represents a major psychiatric emergency, often occurring in the context of mood disorders and requiring rapid, effective interventions. Traditional antidepressant treatments usually have a delayed onset of action, underscoring the need for fast-acting therapeutic alternatives. In recent years, ketamine—an NMDA receptor antagonist—has emerged as a promising option...
European Psychiatry
June 1, 2026
E. Peters, A. Al Hasani, K. Shukla et al.
Introduction Ketamine therapy for treatment-resistant depression has a well-established rapid antidepressant effect for acute symptom management. However, there is far less research on the efficacy of long-term maintenance therapy for relapse prevention. Objectives To examine the utility of long-term maintenance therapy with ketamine infusions delivered in a naturalistic treatment setting....
European Psychiatry
June 1, 2026
Introduction Treatment-resistant depression (TRD) represents a major challenge in psychiatry. Nearly one-third of patients with major depressive disorder fail to achieve remission despite adequate antidepressant therapy, and about 30% attempt suicide during their lifetime. Given this elevated risk, identifying treatments that rapidly reduce depressive symptoms and suicidality while improving...
European Psychiatry
June 1, 2026
Michał Pastuszak, Katarzyna Jakuszkowiak‐wojten, Maria Gałuszko‐węgielnik et al.
Introduction Research on psychedelic compounds has grown quickly in the past decade. Yet molecule-specific, quantitative summaries are scattered, making it hard to see how interest differs by compound or over time. Objectives To quantify PubMed-indexed publications on ketamine, lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT), psilocybin, and psilocin; to describe annual trends...
European Psychiatry
June 1, 2026
W. Aldulaimy, A. Shah
Introduction TBI patients often suffer from severe, treatment-resistant depression and PTSD. Ketamine shows promise in non-TBI populations, but its efficacy in TBI patients needs exploration for efficacy and tolerability. Objectives Evaluate ketamine’s clinical effectiveness and safety (PHQ-9, GAD-7, PCL-5 scores) in post-TBI patients, comparing IM, intranasal, and oral routes. Methods Design:...
International Journal of Psychiatry in Clinical Practice
June 1, 2026
Damian Swieczkowski, Aleksander Kwaśny, Michal Pruc et al.
To explore sex, racial and ethnic disparities in esketamine clinical trials for mental health disorders registered on ClinicalTrials.gov. We conducted a registry-based cross-sectional analysis of interventional esketamine trials with results posted on ClinicalTrials.gov (cut-off date: 10 February 2025). Using predefined eligibility criteria, two investigators independently extracted and...
The Journal of Clinical Pharmacology
June 1, 2026
Paul Glue, Ben Beaglehole
Ketamine is a non-competitive antagonist at the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) glutamate receptor. It was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for anesthesia in 1970. The only other related US regulatory approval since then has been for esketamine nasal spray for depression in 2019. Over this time ketamine has been repurposed by mainly academic researchers, reporting clinical activity...
Journal of Psychopharmacology
June 1, 2026
Gabrielle Smith, Timothy Piatkowski, Jason Ferris et al.
1 citation
While research on novel therapeutic applications of ketamine is expanding, particularly in controlled settings, there is limited exploration of its consumption related to self-treatment of psychiatric conditions. This study investigated the characteristics of people who use ketamine and psychedelics for self-treatment of psychiatric conditions, providing insight into patterns of use within this...
Journal of trauma and injury
June 1, 2026
Minaal Ahmed Malik, Michele Halasa, Jack Chia et al.
Ketamine, an N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist, is widely used in trauma and emergency medicine for its rapid analgesic and sedative properties. While its efficacy in acute pain management is well established, concerns persist regarding its long-term psychological effects, particularly its potential role in the development of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Some studies...
JAMA Psychiatry
June 1, 2026
Ben Deverett, Duan Li, Theresa R. Lii et al.
1 citation
Ketamine has well-known dissociative, analgesic, and antidepressant properties, but it is unknown whether the neurophysiologic effects that are associated with these properties can be modulated separately from one another. Considering that specific cortical oscillations have been associated with specific therapeutic effects, modulating selective aspects of ketamine neurophysiology could inform...
European Neuropsychopharmacology
June 1, 2026
Andreas Reif, Yağcıoğlu Ae Anıl, Istvan Bitter et al.
3 citations
Optimising patient outcomes in treatment resistant depression (TRD) requires treatments which provide sustained remission, without relapse, and tolerability in the long term. ESCAPE-LTE (NCT04829318) was a phase IV, single-arm, 2-year (104 weeks) long-term extension of ESCAPE-TRD (NCT04338321; 32 weeks), a rater-blinded, randomised, active-controlled trial, which evaluated the safety,...