The Power of Ketamine

Why does the former director of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIH) consider ketamine the most important breakthrough in antidepressant treatment in decades? We have three answers for you.

1. Ketamine reduces depression within six hours, with effects that are equal to or greater than the effects of six weeks of treatment with other antidepressant medications.

2. Ketamine is effective when all other drugs fail and treats treatment-resistant depression. This gives hope and a new option for people with some of the most disabling and chronic forms of depression, whether classified as major depressive disorder or bipolar depression.

3. Ketamine reduces suicidal thoughts. While lithium and clozapine reduce suicide risk, the effects of ketamine are specifically anti-suicidal.