Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Ketamine, and Combination Treatment for Depression: Impressions of Credibility in Participants with Self-Reported Depressive Symptoms
M. Earleywine, Brianna R. Altman, Joseph A. de Leo
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs April 20, 2021 DOI: 10.1080/02791072.2021.1912863 via Semantic Scholar
Summary
People with depressive symptoms find a combination of ketamine and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) as credible as CBT alone, and both are seen as more credible than ketamine alone. Those who have had psychotherapy before tend to view ketamine as less credible. Depression severity does not relate to credibility ratings. The findings suggest that potential clients are cautious about ketamine despite media attention, and that providing balanced treatment descriptions may reveal important credibility information.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Experimental study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 500 |
| Population | Participants with depressive symptoms |
| Keywords | Medicine Psychology |
| Citations | 8 |
| Key finding | Participants rated the credibility of CBT alone significantly higher than ketamine alone, and the combination treatment was seen as more credible than ketamine but not better than CBT alone. |
Abstract
ABSTRACT Ketamine, a novel treatment for depression, has generated considerable interest and research. Few experiments address lay impressions of the credibility of ketamine treatment relative to another popular intervention for depression, CBT. Over 500 participants with depressive symptoms read descriptions of CBT, ketamine, and a treatment that combined the two. Descriptions included pros and cons of each approach. Participants found the combination treatment more credible than ketamine but no better than CBT alone. They rated the credibility of CBT alone significantly higher than ketamine alone. Participants with psychotherapy experience tended to view ketamine as less credible than those who did not report previous psychotherapy. Depression scores did not covary with credibility ratings for any treatment. Despite media coverage and Internet claims, potential clients are cautious about ketamine. These results suggest that providing descriptions of treatments might help reveal important information about their credibility to potential clients. Extended work assessing impressions of many approaches to the treatment of psychopathology and other problems appears justifiable. Given established links between credibility and treatment outcome, additional research on individual differences in perceptions of ketamine and varied treatments for depression seems warranted.