Ketamine versus ECT for Nonpsychotic Treatment-Resistant Major Depression

Summary & key facts

In a clinical trial, researchers compared ketamine treatment with electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) in people who had treatment-resistant major depression but no psychosis. The study found that ketamine was “noninferior” to ECT, meaning ketamine performed at least nearly as well as ECT according to the trial's preset rules. The trial is registered as NCT03113968 and was funded by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute. Details such as exact response rates, side effects, and treatment schedules are not included in the short excerpt.

Key facts:

• The study directly compared ketamine treatment with electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) for people with treatment-resistant major depression without psychosis.
• The primary result reported was that ketamine was noninferior to ECT, meaning it met the trial’s predefined standard for being not worse by a specified margin.
• The trial was registered on ClinicalTrials.gov as NCT03113968.
• The research was funded by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI).
• This summary is based on the abstract; the excerpt does not include detailed numbers on response rates, side effects, or the exact ketamine or ECT protocols used.

Abstract

Ketamine was noninferior to ECT as therapy for treatment-resistant major depression without psychosis. (Funded by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute; ELEKT-D ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT03113968.).

Topics

Electroconvulsive Therapy Studies Treatment of Major Depression Tryptophan and brain disorders

Categories

Health Sciences Medicine Pharmacology

Tags

Anesthesia Antidepressant Anxiety Depression (economics) Economics Electroconvulsive Shock Electroconvulsive therapy Ketamine Macroeconomics Medicine Psychiatry Psychology Treatment-resistant depression

Substances

Ketamine

Conditions & symptoms

Anxiety Depression Sadness or low mood