Ketamine, an N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist, was first approved by the US FDA as KETALAR® for induction and maintenance of general anesthesia. Ketamine has been used off-label for depression treatment, while its S-enantiomer, esketamine (SPRAVATO®), is approved for treatment-resistant depression and major depressive disorder with acute suicidal ideation or behavior. High doses...
Ketamine-assisted psychotherapy (KAP) is moving from the periphery toward the mainstream of mental healthcare. Research on the use of KAP in the context of couple therapy, however, remains limited. This phenomenological analysis sought data from psychotherapists ( n = 9), representing four different modalities of couple therapy, who are incorporating ketamine into their work with dyads....
bioRxivJune 3, 2026Yanxia Liang, Lingjun Wang, Yajie Li et al.
preprint
Ketamine produces rapid antidepressant effects but is constrained by psychotomimetic properties and abuse potential. The ketamine metabolite (2R,6R)-hydroxynorketamine (HNK) shows antidepressant-like efficacy without N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) blockade, yet its upstream targets remain unclear. Here we show that HNK potentiates hippocampal excitatory transmission and reverses...
bioRxivJune 3, 2026Shuo Yang, Ling-Jun Wang, Yunxiang Sun et al.
preprint
Abstract A deeper understanding of the targets and mechanisms of fast-acting antidepressants, exemplified by ketamine, remains indispensable for better therapeutic strategies and understanding depression. Beyond the canonical neuron-centric NMDAR inhibition hypothesis, brain opioid system and glia-mediated processes are increasingly implicated in ketamine’s antidepressant efficacy, yet their...
CJEMJune 3, 2026Yury Onikashvili, Heather Burt, Garth Meckler et al.
ObjectivesEmergency department (ED) visits by adolescents with suicidal ideation have increased, with no rapid-acting treatments identified for ED use. This pilot study explored the feasibility of a randomized controlled trial of ketamine in the ED for adolescents with suicidal ideation.MethodsThree-arm, triple-blinded randomized controlled trial comparing intravenous ketamine (0.5 mg/kg),...
Abstract Background Prolonged grief disorder (PGD) is a clinically distinguishable bereavement-related condition characterized by persistent yearning, identity disruption, and impaired functioning, formalized in DSM-5-TR and ICD-11 (6L72) and empirically distinguishable from but frequently co-occurring with major depressive disorder. Approximately 7 to 10 percent of bereaved adults meet...
European PsychiatryJune 1, 2026P. Argitis, M. Demetriou, T. Koukouras et al.
Introduction Intravenous (IV) ketamine has demonstrated rapid antidepressant and anti-suicidal effects in treatment-resistant depression (TRD), yet interindividual variability in response remains significant. One unexplored factor is the impact of concomitant antidepressant medication during ketamine treatment. Desvenlafaxine, a serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI), may enhance...
European PsychiatryJune 1, 2026P. Argitis, M. Demetriou, V. Anagnostopoulou et al.
Introduction Acute suicidal ideation after a suicide attempt is a psychiatric emergency requiring immediate treatment. IV ketamine (0.5 mg/kg), with rapid onset, may offer such benefit. This study examines its efficacy and safety as a first-line intervention for swiftly resolving suicidal ideation in patients post-attempt, including in outpatient and consultation-liaison psychiatry settings....
Aims: Ketamine misuse is an emerging public health concern, with increasing reports of severe physical and psychological complications. Chronic use is associated with hepatobiliary and urinary tract injury, often linked to ketamine’s metabolic pathways and toxicological effects (1-3). This report describes the complications and treatment outcomes of a young adult with severe ketamine dependence...
Ketamine and esketamine ("es/ketamine") treatment protocols have been investigated in patients' samples with treatment-refractory anxiety disorders. We systematically reviewed publications in which es/ketamine was used to treat anxiety symptoms in the context of either Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) anxiety disorders or treatment-resistant...