A History on Ketamine: A Clinical Revolution
About Ketamine
Ketamine, often referred to as a “Dissociative Anesthetic”, was first introduced to clinical settings in the 1960s. For nearly 50 years, ketamine remained in the clinical setting as an anesthetic staple until recently, it was discovered to have profound effects when paired with emergent psychotherapy techniques.
Ketamine is listed on the World Health Organization’s List of Essential Medicines, a list of the safest and most effective medicines required for any health care system. With applications in neuropharmacology, anesthesia, functional connectivity, treatment-resistant depression solutions, and post-traumatic stress disorder treatments, ketamine is a growing staple in many healthcare settings. Currently under evaluation in Phase III clinical studies, ketamine show “promising perspectives for augmented psychotherapy for individuals with mood disorders.”
(Bottemanne H, Morlaas O, Claret A, Sharot T, Fossati P, Schmidt L. Evaluation of Early Ketamine Effects on Belief-Updating Biases in Patients With Treatment-Resistant Depression. JAMA Psychiatry. 2022;79(11):1124–1132. doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2022.2996)
Well, that’s all great, but you may be thinking…
How can this help ME?
Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy is an incredibly effective treatment for patients who feel as if they’ve tried it all, and still haven’t found success. Strong evidence suggests treatment for the following conditions, and preliminary evidence for many more
Severe Depression
Suicidal Ideation
Severe PTSD
Severe Anxiety
