Music and ketamine each influence therapeutic outcomes, yet their combined use is rarely studied. This scoping review maps existing research on administering music alongside ketamine or esketamine in humans. Studies include healthy volunteers and patients of various ages, using different doses and treatment processes, with music played at varying times relative to drug administration. Research on music during ketamine anesthesia is included, as anesthesia drove early ketamine use. Recreational ketamine studies are excluded. The review is limited to English-language articles with no year restriction. It is the first comprehensive overview of music and ketamine/esketamine interplay, offering guidance for future study design.
Suicidal ideation, depression, hopelessness, psychological pain, and traumatic stress are all elevated during a suicide crisis and respond to a single ketamine infusion. In a study of 118 adults spanning the suicide risk continuum, 14 high-risk individuals who had recently attempted or seriously considered suicide were compared with those whose crisis had resolved. A subset of 10 high-risk participants received open-label ketamine (0.5 mg/kg). Results were mixed depending on the assessment used, but all five clinical characteristics were elevated near the time of crisis and decreased after ketamine. The small sample and use of only one intervention limit the findings.