Effectiveness of Ketamine Therapy
Clinical studies and real world evidence show that ketamine therapy is a more effective treatment for individuals with mental health conditions like depression than traditional treatments.
Clinical studies and real world evidence show that ketamine therapy is a more effective treatment for individuals with mental health conditions like depression than traditional treatments.
Two of the most common treatments for someone with depression are traditional antidepressants drugs and psychotherapy.
Ketamine Therapy, also known as Ketamine Infusion Therapy (KIT) has shown an effect size of ~1.5. (Very Large). This is 5x the traditional antidepressants effect size of ~0.3 (small) and about 2x the psycotherapy's effect size of ~0.72 (medium/large).
Effect size is often used to compare different treatment types to each other.
Effect size is a statistical concept that helps us understand the magnitude or strength of the impact of a treatment or intervention. It provides a way to quantify how much difference a treatment makes compared to another treatment, a placebo, or no treatment at all. Understanding effect size is crucial in evaluating whether a treatment is not just statistically significant, but also practically meaningful.
Imagine listening to music on a radio and wanting to know how much turning the volume knob will increase the sound. Effect size is how much the volume changes when the knob is turned. A small effect size is like a tiny twist that makes the music just a little louder, barely noticeable. A large effect size is like a big twist that makes the music significantly louder, easy to notice. Just like the volume knob changes the loudness of the music, effect size indicates how much a treatment or intervention changes the outcome, whether it's a small, medium, or large impact.
Traditional antidepressants are medications used to treat depression and other mood disorders, with the most common types being Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs), Serotonin-Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitors (SNRIs), and Tricyclic Antidepressants (TCAs).
These medications work by altering brain chemistry to improve mood and reduce depressive symptoms, but side effects can vary and may include nausea, weight changes, and sexual dysfunction. It often takes several weeks for these antidepressants to take full effect.
Psychotherapy, also known as talk therapy or counseling, is a treatment approach that involves regular interactions between a trained therapist and a client to address emotional or behavioral issues. The primary goals of psychotherapy are to relieve emotional distress, improve mental health, change problematic behaviors or thought patterns, enhance relationships, and develop coping strategies for life challenges. Various techniques are employed, such as encouraging open communication, identifying unhealthy thought patterns, and teaching problem-solving skills. There are several forms of psychotherapy, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), psychodynamic therapy, and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), which can be conducted individually, in couples, or in groups. The duration of therapy can range from a few sessions to several months or years, depending on individual needs. Research indicates that most people who engage in psychotherapy experience symptom relief and improved functioning, and it is often combined with medication for a more comprehensive treatment approach.
There are two common metrics that clinical studies and practitioners use to measure improvement of individuals with mental health conditions:
The response rate is the proportion of individuals who show a significant improvement in their symptoms (a 50% reduction) following a treatment or intervention. This is often measured using standardized tools such as the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), which is a widely used instrument for assessing the severity of depression.
Remission is a phase in which the symptoms of a condition, such as depression, have significantly diminished or disappeared. For depression, remission is often measured using tools like the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). A commonly accepted definition of remission in depression is achieving a PHQ-9 score of less than five, indicating that the depressive symptoms are minimal or absent
A real world study found that of 537 patients with depression that completed ketamine therapy ~50% responded to a ketamine therapy induction of 4-8 infusions administered within 7-28 day of each other. Said another way, approximately half of patients that completed ketamine therapy reduced depressive symptoms by at least 50%.
This is in line with multiple clinical studies that showed response rates of 45-59%.
The same real world study found that of 537 patients ~29% of patient's depressive symptoms went into remission and another real world study of ketamine therapy found a 26% remission rate.
This is in line with clinical studies that have found remission rates of 23-31%
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