Ketamine treatment clinics have proliferated following the Food and Drug Administration’s approval of the drug as a remedy for acute depression in 2019, leading to a Wild West of infusion clinics that have expanded treatment access for many Americans without much regulation.
Providers are split on whether ketamine should be used strictly as a pharmacological intervention, or whether psychotherapy or other types of monitoring should be incorporated alongside the drug’s administration. Studies have shown that giving ketamine without psychological support can reduce depressive symptoms and suicidality within hours.
But some researchers suspect this pharmacological-only viewpoint could leave benefits on the table. A group of scientists announced on Tuesday a clinical trial at Massachusetts General Hospital that they hope will answer what, exactly, ketamine and its resulting trip provides.
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