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The party drug ketamine could be the answer to treating even seemingly untreatable cases of depression, according to a growing body of research.
A new study published this week in the Journal of Psychopharmacology found that approximately one-third of patients with what researchers referred to as “treatment-resistant depression” experienced a significant mood improvement after being treated with up to six intravenous ketamine infusions over the course of several weeks.
“Three days after the last infusion, the depression scores had halved in 29 percent of the patients,” said a news release on the study, which was conducted by United Kingdom researchers at Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust and the University of Oxford. “In those that responded to the treatment, the duration of benefit varied widely, lasting between 25 days and 8 months.”