Ketamine as a therapeutic agent in major depressive disorder and posttraumatic stress disorder: Potential medicinal and deleterious effects.

Ketamine, an anesthetic with known psychedelic and psychotropic effects and associated neurotoxicity, is reviewed as a potential therapeutic for major depressive disorder (MDD) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). MDD affects 300 million people worldwide and involves symptoms such as anhedonia, fatigue, and suicidal ideation; PTSD similarly includes anhedonia and hypervigilance after trauma. The article discusses ketamine's mechanisms of action, findings from clinical trials, and possible side effects, suggesting it may offer an effective treatment option for these debilitating conditions, though its toxicity remains a concern.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Major depressive disorder (MDD) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are the most common causes of emotional distress that impair an individual's quality of life. MDD is a chronic mental illness that affects 300 million people across the world. Clinical manifestations of MDD include fatigue, loss of interest in routine tasks, psychomotor agitation, impaired ability to focus, suicidal ideation, hypersomnolence, altered psychosocial functioning, and appetite loss. Individuals with depression also demonstrate a reduced behavioral response while experiencing pleasure, a symptom known as anhedonia. Like MDD, PTSD is a prevalent and debilitating psychiatric disorder resulting from a traumatic incident such as sexual assault, war, severe accident, or natural disaster. Symptoms such as recalling event phases, hypervigilance, irritability, and anhedonia are common in PTSD. Both MDD and PTSD pose enormous socioeconomic burdens across the globe. The search for effective treatment with minimal side effects is still ongoing. Ketamine is known for its anesthetic and analgesic properties. Psychedelic and psychotropic effects of ketamine have been found on the nervous system, which highlights its toxicity. In this article, the effectiveness of ketamine as a potential therapeutic for PTSD and MDD along with its mechanisms of action, clinical trials, and possible side effects have been discussed.