Ketamine for OCD

Ketamine is a well-known anesthetic and recreational drug that has recently gained attention for its potential as a treatment for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). OCD is a chronic mental health condition characterized by persistent intrusive thoughts (obsessions) and repetitive behaviors or mental acts (compulsions) that aim to reduce anxiety. Although traditional treatments such as behavioral therapy, medication and ketamine for OCD can be effective, many patients continue to suffer from symptoms, leading researchers to seek alternative treatment options.

The obsessive-compulsive spectrum refers to disorders drawn from several diagnostic categories that share core features related to obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), such as obsessive thoughts, compulsive behaviors and anxiety. Disorders that include these features can be grouped according to the focus of the symptoms, e.g., bodily preoccupation (i.e., eating disorders, ED) or impulse control (i.e., substance use disorders, SUD), and they exhibit intriguing similarities in phenomenology, etiology, pathophysiology, patient characteristics and clinical outcomes.

Ketamine has been indicated to produce remarkable results in patients with treatment-resistant depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and OCD in dozens of studies accrued over the past decade, and it appears to be promising in the treatment of SUD and ED. The use and efficacy of ketamine in SUD, ED and OCD is supported by glutamatergic neurotransmission dysregulation, which plays an important role in these conditions.