Ketamine as a Bridge Therapy: Reducing Acute Suicidality in Hospital Settings
Healthcare March 3, 2026 Paul Lie, Titus Lie, Madeleine Nguyen et al. 1 citation
Suicide rates are rising, and standard antidepressant medications (SSRIs) take 2–6 weeks to work, leaving a 1–3 month danger zone of high risk. Ketamine, a fast-acting NMDA receptor antagonist, works through the mTORC1 pathway to relieve depressive symptoms much more quickly, potentially eliminating this lag. This review proposes a hypothetical Bridge Protocol using a controlled, supervised subanesthetic dose of ketamine in a clinical setting, which the literature suggests has low addiction risk. However, the framework remains untested, and rigorous longitudinal studies are needed before widespread adoption.