Ketamine Combined With Psychotherapy as a Treatment for Resistant Depression in a Public European Hospital.
Brain and behavior January 1, 2026 Filipa Alves Da Silva, Rita Avelar, Bernardo Peixoto et al.
A pilot study tested ketamine infusions combined with psychotherapy in nine patients with treatment-resistant depression at a Portuguese general hospital. After eight weeks, all participants showed reduced depression severity, with median PHQ-9 scores dropping from severe to moderate. 44% of participants had a response to treatment, defined as at least a 50% reduction in score. Among those with suicidal ideation, slightly over half experienced remission of these thoughts. In follow-up, only 29% of outpatients had mood deterioration within three months. The findings suggest that combining ketamine with psychotherapy may improve depressive symptoms even in severe, treatment-resistant cases.