Guidelines for ketamine use in clinical psychiatry practice

BJPsych Open. 2024 May 10;10(3):e107. doi: 10.1192/bjo.2024.62.

Abstract

In this editorial, we emphasise the efficacy and challenges of using ketamine in treatment-resistant depression. We highlight the need for comprehensive evidence-based guidelines to manage the use of both licensed and off-licence ketamine formulations and discuss recent efforts by Beaglehole et al to develop ketamine guidelines in New Zealand. We finally advocate for national registries to monitor ketamine therapy, ensuring its responsible and effective use in the management of depression.

Keywords: Depressive disorders; antidepressants; esketamine; guidelines; ketamine.