Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Moving Forward With Ketamine Therapy: Ensuring Safety, Efficacy, And Accessibility In Depression Treatment, Julienne Desanto

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Ketamine, a medication long used in anesthesia, has emerged as a promising treatment for depression and other mental health disorders. Its rapid onset of action and mechanism, which differs from traditional antidepressants by targeting NMDA receptors, offers a novel approach to managing depressive symptoms. Despite its potential, ketamine's use outside anesthesia, particularly in off-label ketamine clinics, is fraught with regulatory, safety, and accessibility challenges. This paper explores the historical medical use of ketamine and its emerging role in mental health treatment. It compares the efficacies and administration routes of different forms of ketamine, including intravenous (IV) and intranasal (nasal spray) …