Ketamine for the Treatment of Psychiatric Disorders: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Summary & key facts

Researchers collected 44 studies that tested ketamine as a treatment for mental disorders other than mood disorders. They pooled results from both carefully controlled trials and open-label studies. The studies showed that ketamine was linked to large short-term drops in PTSD and OCD symptom scores, and several reports said people with alcohol problems had less urge to drink, stayed abstinent more often, and relapsed later. The authors warn that there are only a small number of high-quality randomized trials and that we still do not know the long-term benefits or risks of ketamine for these conditions.

Key facts:

• The review included 44 studies of adults that used either randomized controlled trials or open-label designs to test ketamine for psychiatric conditions other than mood disorders.
• On a common self-report PTSD checklist, ketamine was associated with about a 28-point average drop in scores, which means fewer PTSD symptoms after treatment.
• On a clinician-rated PTSD scale, ketamine was associated with about a 14-point average drop in scores, indicating symptom improvement judged by clinicians.
• For obsessive-compulsive disorder measured with a standard symptom scale, ketamine was linked to about an 8-point average drop in symptoms.
• In studies of alcohol use problems, reports commonly showed a decreased urge to drink, higher rates of short-term abstinence, and a longer time before relapse after ketamine treatment.
• The authors emphasize the evidence is preliminary because there are relatively few randomized controlled trials, and long-term safety and effectiveness of ketamine for these disorders are not yet known.

Abstract

Extant literature supports the potential use of ketamine for the treatment of PTSD, OCD, and alcohol use disorders with significant improvement of patient symptoms. However, the limited number of randomized controlled trials underscores the need to further investigate the short- and long-term benefits and risks of ketamine for the treatment of psychiatric disorders.

Topics

Mental Health Research Topics Treatment of Major Depression Tryptophan and brain disorders

Categories

Health Sciences Medicine Pharmacology

Tags

Anxiety Checklist CINAHL Clinical psychology Cognitive psychology Internal medicine Ketamine Law Medicine MEDLINE Meta-analysis Mood disorders Political science Psychiatry Psychological intervention Psychology Publication bias Randomized controlled trial

Substances

Ketamine

Conditions & symptoms

Anxiety Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder PTSD Substance abuse disorder Addiction or harmful habbits