Depression : injections of ketamine to chase away the thoughts of suicide

andreyuu/epictura

Published the 03.01.2018 to 09: 00

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dépressionsuicidekétamine

The dark thoughts are a result of the depression, and they can be very serious, leading to the suicide attempt. To treat states of depression, treatment of heavy are used.
Researchers have previously studied the effects of ketamine on the reduction of suicidal thoughts. It is effective for patients with depressive disorders, light.
A study was published in the American Journal of Psychiatry, it proves the effectiveness of this molecule in the treatment of patients with depressive disorders heavy, and thoughts of suicide.

Positive effects as early as 24 hours

The researchers studied the efficacy of ketamine in intravenous injection. Four-twenty depressive patients participated in the study, which was carried out under strict conditions. They were suffering from a severe form of depression. 54% of them took antidepressants. By random drawing, they were divided into two groups, one took ketamine, the other of midazolam, a powerful sedative.
After a day of treatment, the reduction of the depressive state was higher by 5 points for the group taking the ketamine compared to the other.

Effects that persist

This improved effectiveness of ketamine on suicidal ideation proved to be still valid after the six week trial. Promising results for patients who cannot tolerate antidepressants. Ketamine, however, have risks of addiction, the research for a large-scale use of this molecule will, therefore, take more time.

In the United States, it is a treatment that is already offered in some of the care centres, and sometimes even partly reimbursed by the insurance companies.