Therapy group following a Ketamine treatment – a case report of a patient with resistant depression
European Psychiatry – June 01, 2022
Source: CrossRef
Summary
A 44-year-old man with severe, treatment-resistant depression experienced profound improvement after six months of Esketamine therapy, uniquely combined with 30-minute group sessions. Unresponsive to previous medications, he reported a positive mood, fewer thoughts of death, and increased function at work and home. Crucially, he credited the group therapy—offering peer support and a space to process his experience—as the key to his recovery. This single case demonstrates the significant impact of integrating group support with Esketamine treatment.
Abstract
Introduction There are some patients that remain resistant to treatment for major depressive disorder - who were treated with two or more different medications, and did not demonstrate any improvement in their mental-state. These patients can be treated with a new treatment – Esketamine. The recommended Esketamine treatment protocol includes 8-treatment sessions, each session lasts about two hours. In our clinic, we added a therapy group after each treatment. The therapy group is led by two co-therapist and lasts 30 minutes. The patients are invited to share their experiences from the session.ObjectivesWe will present a case report of a 44 year old man, that suffers from a major-depression for years, with symptoms such as loss of energy, recurrent thoughts of death and a decrease in functioning. He was treated with different medications, but there was no improvement in his mental state.MethodsFor the last six months, he was treated with Esketamine and also participated in the therapy group.ResultsAccording to content that he raised in the sessions of the therapy group and following conversations with him and with his close environment, we observed a clinical improvement in his condition – a positive mood, a decrease of the thoughts of death, an increase in his function at work and at home.ConclusionsHe reported that the improvement is more significant because of the therapy group – he found a peer group, a place to process his treatment experience and to share his feelings and thoughts. We will present vignettes to demonstrate.DisclosureNo significant relationships.