Use of repeated intravenous ketamine therapy in treatment-resistant bipolar depression with suicidal behaviour: a case report from Spain.
Álvaro López-díaz, José Luis Fernández-gonzález, José Evaristo Luján-jiménez, Sara Galiano-Rus, Luis Gutiérrez-Rojas
Therapeutic advances in psychopharmacology April 1, 2017 DOI: 10.1177/2045125316675578 via PubMed
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractA case report describes a female patient hospitalized for months with treatment-resistant bipolar depression and chronic suicidal behavior. After repeated intravenous ketamine infusions with no notable side effects, she achieved complete clinical recovery for four weeks following discharge. Depressive symptoms returned in the fifth week, leading to hospital readmission after a suicide attempt. The report highlights ketamine's rapid but temporary antidepressant effects and the risk of relapse, underscoring concerns about its off-label use in clinical practice despite its potential for refractory depression.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Case report Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 1 |
| Population | Female patient with treatment-resistant depressive bipolar episode and chronic suicidal behavior |
| Intervention | Intravenous ketamine infusions |
| Topics | Depression Ketamine |
| Keywords | Antidepressive agents Bipolar disorder Suicide |
| Citations | 27 |
| Key finding | Ketamine infusions led to complete clinical recovery for four weeks, but depressive symptoms and suicidal behavior returned in the fifth week. |
Abstract
The rapidly-acting antidepressant properties of ketamine are a trend topic in psychiatry. Despite its robust effects, these are ephemeral and can lead to certain adverse events. For this reason, there is still a general concern around the off-label use of ketamine in clinical practice settings. Nonetheless, for refractory depression, it should be an indication to consider. We report the case of a female patient admitted for several months due to a treatment-resistant depressive bipolar episode with chronic suicidal behaviour. After repeated intravenous ketamine infusions without remarkable side effects, the patient experienced a complete clinical recovery during the 4 weeks following hospital discharge. Unfortunately, depressive symptoms reappeared in the 5th week, and the patient was finally readmitted to hospital as a result of a suicide attempt.