Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists professional practice guidelines for the use of ketamine in psychiatric practice.
The Australian and New Zealand journal of psychiatry – April 28, 2025
Source: PubMed
Summary
Ketamine, once known primarily as an anesthetic, shows promising results in treating severe depression and other psychiatric disorders. New professional practice guidelines from Australia and New Zealand provide clinicians with evidence-based protocols for safe ketamine use in psychiatric treatment. The guidelines emphasize careful patient selection, proper dosing, and monitoring protocols while highlighting ketamine's potential as a rapid-acting intervention for treatment-resistant mental health conditions.
Abstract
Professional practice guidelines for the use of ketamine in psychiatric practice have been developed by the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists to provide guidance on the use of ketamine in clinical practice in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand, based on scientific evidence and supplemented by expert clinical consensus. Articles and information were sourced from existing guidelines and published literature. The findings were then formulated into consensus-based recommendations and guidance by the authors. The guidelines were subjected to rigorous successive consultation within the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists, involving the Section of Electroconvulsive Therapy and Neurostimulation Committee, its broader membership and expert committees. The guidelines are intended for psychiatrists and clinicians engaged in the use of ketamine therapy to facilitate best practice to optimise outcomes for patients. They strive to find the appropriate balance between promoting best evidence-based practice and acknowledging that evidence for ketamine use is continually evolving.