Irish researchers examine using ketamine to treat depression

In Ireland, over 200,000 people experience a depressive episode each year, with approximately 6,000 requiring acute care. Picture: iStock

The use of ketamine to treat those experiencing severe depression is being trialled by researchers from Trinity College Dublin and St Patrick’s Mental Health Services. 

In Ireland, over 200,000 people experience a depressive episode each year, with approximately 6,000 requiring acute care.

The research is examining the possibility that repeated ketamine infusions, in addition to current inpatient care, will improve depression outcomes. The team is also predicting that ketamine treatment will lead to a reduction in healthcare costs and an improved quality of life for those with the condition.

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Funded by the Health Research Board, the randomised controlled trial will investigate the impact of low-dose ketamine as an add-on treatment for people with severe depression. 

The team is led by Research Professor of Psychiatry at Trinity and Consultant Psychiatrist at St Patrick’s Mental Health Declan McLoughlin.

Professor McLoughlin said: “We aim to see whether it’s possible to harness the powerful antidepressant action of ketamine as part of routine care for hospital inpatients experiencing severe depression. This has never been done in Ireland before on a scale this size.”

Crucially, ketamine has a rapid-onset antidepressant effect in comparison to current treatments, with symptoms improving within an hour of single infusions with peak benefits after 24 hours. 

To date, there has been intense research in the area of pharmacological treatments for depression that target certain transmitters such as serotonin and dopamine, with little changing over the past 60 years.

While existing treatments have been proven effective for many, only 30%  of patients with severe depression experienced reduced symptoms after taking a traditional antidepressant medication called a serotonin reuptake inhibitor. A further 30% of patients are completely resistant to this treatment.

Prof McLoughlin said, “Depression is the most common reason in the EU for long-term sick leave and it is the leading cause of disability worldwide. 

"It is, therefore, a public health priority to not only recognize and treat depression but to do so in a more time-effective manner than traditional antidepressants have achieved to date.”