Efficacy of Electroconvulsive Therapy and Ketamine Therapy in Major Depressive Disorder; A Comparative Study
Asif Azeem Bajwa, Sohail Ali, Sikandar Ali Khan, Nida Saleem, Tashfeen Bin Nazir
Pakistan Armed Forces Medical Journal March 30, 2023 Peer reviewed DOI: 10.51253/pafmj.v73i1.8818 via DOAJ
Summary
Ketamine infusions were found to reduce depressive symptoms more effectively and quickly than Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) in hospitalized patients with major depressive disorder. Specifically, 80.78% of patients receiving Ketamine showed improvement compared to 77.78% of those receiving ECT. This suggests that low-dose Ketamine may offer a faster response for treating depression.
Study at a glance
| Design | comparative cross-sectional study |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 40 |
| Population | hospitalized patients suffering from major depressive disorder |
| Key finding | Ketamine resulted in fewer depressive symptoms and a quicker response compared to ECT. |
Abstract
Objective: To evaluate and compare the efficacy of Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) and Ketamine infusions in hospitalized patients suffering from major depressive disorder (MDD). Study Design: Comparative cross-sectional study. Place and duration of study: Armed Forces Institute of Mental Health, Rawalpindi Pakistan, from Feb to Apr 2021. Methodology: Forty in-patients diagnosed as having MDD were randomly allocated ECT/Ketamine intervention as per international standards. Either group of patients acted as a control for the other. Their Beck Depressive Inventory (BDI) scores before and after the completion of treatment cycles were assessed to determine their response to treatment. Results: The Ketamine-Group showed fewer depressive symptoms than the ECT Group. The depressive symptoms were reduced in 16(80.78%) patients after Ketamine infusions, while 15(77.78%) patients showed improvement after ECT sessions.In addition, the response to Ketamine was quicker. Conclusion: This study has reported that low dose Ketamine has a more rapid impact than Electroconvulsive therapy in improving symptoms of depression in major depressive disorder patients.