Ketamine therapy swiftly reduces depression and suicidal thoughts
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The rave drug ketamine can quickly ease depression and soothe suicidal thoughts in the short term, research has revealed.
Analysis of 83 research papers showed that patients’ symptoms were reduced in just one to four hours.
Some patients were relieved of suicidal thoughts for up to a week – though the average was three days.
The University of Exeter’s review found that the strongest evidence emerged around the use of ketamine to treat both major depression and bipolar depression.
Lead author Merve Mollaahmetoglu said: ‘Our research is the most comprehensive review of the growing body of evidence on the therapeutic effects of ketamine to date.
‘Our findings suggest that ketamine may be useful in providing rapid relief from depression and suicidal thoughts, creating a window of opportunity for further therapeutic interventions to be effective.
‘It’s important to note that this review examined ketamine administration in carefully controlled clinical settings where any risks of ketamine...
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