BJPsych Open
June 1, 2026
Emeka Onochie, Saminathan Anand, Collins Esiwe et al.
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...
Journal of Psychopharmacology
June 2026
Vasilios G Masdrakis, Zoe Tebbs, Vasilios Natsis et al.
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...
BJPsych Open
June 1, 2026
Sarah Shackleton, Onuswale Oni, Stephen J. Kaar
Aims: Recreational ketamine use and treatment-seeking for associated complications is increasing in England. Complications of ketamine dependence can be debilitating, leading to continued dependence and surgical intervention. However, treatment remains under-researched, with lacking understanding of those seeking treatment or requiring specialist inpatient detoxification. This study aims to...
European Psychiatry
June 1, 2026
L. Mana, R. Lisbino, P. Pezzella et al.
Introduction Ketamine and esketamine exert rapid antidepressant and dissociative effects, and the growing clinical use of intranasal esketamine for depression opens the possibility of large-scale electroencephalography (EEG) studies to explore their mechanisms through a non-invasive approach. However, understanding the neurophysiological basis of these effects requires a clear synthesis of...
European Psychiatry
June 1, 2026
T. Sagues, A. Barnes, C. Fernández et al.
Introduction Intranasal esketamine has emerged as an innovative option for the management of treatment-resistant depression (TRD), offering a novel mechanism of action and rapid antidepressant effects. However, evidence regarding the clinical trajectory after treatment discontinuation remains limited, raising questions about the durability of its therapeutic benefits and the optimal maintenance...
European Psychiatry
June 1, 2026
O. Vasiliu, D. G. Vasiliu
Introduction Hopes related to esketamine have been raised by its approval for treatment-resistant major depression (TRD) in the sense that this antidepressant, with a novel mechanism of action, will be useful for patients with bipolar depression (BD), too. The need to find more evidence-based pharmacological approaches to both TRD and BD is acute due to the high rates of partial response or...
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
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...