Ketamine With Psychotherapy for the Treatment of Depression
Fernando Espí Forcén, Maren Nyer
Psychiatric Annals September 1, 2022 DOI: 10.3928/00485713-20220810-04
Summary
Ketamine is the only prescribable psychedelic medicine in the United States and a promising treatment for depression. Most ketamine clinics currently administer ketamine without psychotherapy. This article reviews recent literature on combining ketamine with psychotherapy for psychiatric disorders, opening discussion on whether combined treatment offers benefits over ketamine alone.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key finding | The article reviews literature on the potential benefits of combining ketamine with psychotherapy versus ketamine alone for psychiatric disorders. |
Abstract
To date, ketamine is the only prescribable psychedelic medicine in the United States. Ketamine is also one of the most promising drugs for the treatment of depression. In the current paradigm of care, most ketamine clinics in the United States treat patients with mood disorders with ketamine and its derivatives alone without psychotherapy. The purpose of this article is to review the most recent literature about ketamine and psychotherapy for the treatment of psychiatric disorders and reflect and open a discussion about the potential benefits of combined ketamine treatment with psychotherapy versus ketamine alone. [ Psychiatr Ann. 2022;52(9):371–374.]