Rapid-Acting Antidepressants: Where Do We Stand with Ketamine?

The lay press has focused a lot of attention on the use of ketamine as a potentially rapidly acting treatment for depression. But are psychiatrists really ready to offer ketamine as a treatment alternative for mood disorders?

In this podcast, Gerard Sanacora, MD, PhD, addresses issues related to ketamine. Dr Sanacora is Professor of Psychiatry and Director of the Yale Depression Research Program in New Haven, Connecticut. Specific questions include:

• Why has ketamine gained such interest in the lay-media?

• What’s the clinical reality? How would you recommend counseling a patient who asks you for ketamine?

• Are there other drugs with similar mechanisms of action that can be used or are there new drugs in development that may act similarly to ketamine?

Dr Sanacora will speak at this year’s PsychCongress® in a presentation titled “Rapid-Acting Antidepressants: Ready for Prime Time?”

The articles and interviews featured on this page were developed by Psychiatric Times editorial staff and contributors based on presentations delivered at Psych Congress®, an annual conference produced by HMP Global, LLC. Psychiatric Times is an independent publication and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by HMP Global, LLC. All content on this page reflects the independent editorial judgment of Psychiatric Times and does not represent the views, positions, or communications of HMP Global, LLC.