Preliminary Non-Randomized Clinical Trial of Subcutaneous Esketamine in Treatment-Resistant Depression: Exploring Adjunctive Effects of Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy
medRxiv Preprint Server May 31, 2026 Yves Martins Varela, Patrícia Cavalcanti-Ribeiro, Geovan Menezes de Sousa et al. preprint
Ketamine rapidly reduces depression symptoms in treatment-resistant depression, but its effects may be enhanced by combining it with psychotherapy. The drug induces neuroplasticity and psychological openness, which could help patients process emotions, restructure thoughts, and maintain improvements. However, research has not yet thoroughly examined whether adding structured psychotherapy to ketamine treatment provides additional benefits.