A new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that ketamine was as effective as ECT. The clinical study looked at the effects of ketamine infusion therapy versus electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) in treating patients with treatment-resistant major depression.1
Over half (55.4%) of the patients treated with ketamine infusion therapy showed a positive response, compared to 41.2% in the ECT group. This suggests that ketamine may offer considerable benefits for patients dealing with treatment-resistant depression.
In addition, while ECT was linked with a temporary decrease in memory recall, this was not a significant issue with ketamine. Patients reported that improvement in their quality of life was comparable between the two groups, which means that ketamine’s effectiveness is on par with ECT but potentially with fewer cognitive side effects.
The study concluded that ketamine could offer a promising alternative to ECT for patients dealing with treatment-resistant major depression. This information could be helpful to patients talking to their doctor about alternative treatment options for treatment-resistant major depression.
