Ketamine Treatment for Depression

Depression is a common and debilitating mental illness that affects millions of people globally. It is characterized by persistent feelings of sadness, hopelessness, and a lack of energy or motivation. Traditional treatments for depression include antidepressant medication, talk therapy, and lifestyle changes. While these treatments are effective for some people, a significant percentage of individuals with depression do not respond to these interventions. For these patients, ketamine therapy has emerged as a promising alternative.

Furthermore, Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a debilitating illness with significant morbidity and mortality. It affects interpersonal relationships and also contributes to decreased productivity, causing financial burden to individuals and society. Patients often fail to respond to various antidepressant medication trials resulting in treatment-resistant depression (TRD). Current antidepressant medications work by modulating the monoaminergic systems and take several weeks to establish a clinical response. Recent research has shown Ketamines rapid and robust effectiveness in TRD.

Ketamine works differently from traditional antidepressants by acting on the glutamate neurotransmitter system instead of the monoamine neurotransmitter system. Glutamate is the most abundant neurotransmitter in the brain and plays a crucial role in regulating mood and behavior. By blocking the NMDA receptor, a type of glutamate receptor, ketamine stimulates the growth of new connections between nerve cells and the production of certain signaling molecules, leading to rapid and sustained improvement in mood.