Ketamine as a Rapidly-Acting Antidepressant in Depressed Emergency Department Patients

Investigators will conduct a trial to evaluate the use of Ketamine as an alternate treatment for people with Major Depressive Disorder.

This study plans to explore the potential that ketamine’s rapid antidepressant action holds for improving outcomes in patients presenting to the Emergency Department with severe depression.

Since this is a controlled trial we will use an IV of Ketamine or and equivalent volume of Diphenhydramine. Subjects will be randomly assigned to receive Ketamine or Benadryl. Investigators will then compare measures of mood pre- and post-infusion in the Emergency Department. To supplement self-reported measures of depressive symptoms(e.g. mood), investigators will obtain objective measures of the biological aspects of Major Depressive Disorder.

Topic Depression
Compound Placebo Ketamine
Country United States of America
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Trial Details



Trial Number

Sponsors & Collaborators

NYU Langone Health
This company doesn't have a full profile yet, it is linked to a clinical trial.

Measures Used

Beck Depression Inventory
The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) contains 21 self-report items, completed using a multiple-choice format. Scores range from 0-63 with higher scores associated with more severe depression.

Hamilton Depression Rating Scale
The Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) is a multiple item questionnaire used to provide an indication of depression, and as a guide to evaluating recovery. The scale consists of 17 items which each item being scoring on a 3 or 5 point scale. The higher the score, the more likely a person is depressed.

Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale
A ten-item diagnostic questionnaire used to measure the severity of depressive symptoms in patients with mood disorders.

Data attribution

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