Is Ketamine An Effective Treatment For Depression?
Digging into the data behind a contentious drug.
Ketamine is having a hugely contentious moment. It’s an addictive and potentially quite dangerous drug that was reportedly responsible for Matthew Perry’s overdose death. However, if you listen to podcasters like Andrew Huberman, it’s also a remarkably effective treatment for depression that could substantially change the way that we treat severe mental health issues.
It’s an interesting dichotomy. A drug of addiction that’s also a potentially effective way to treat psychiatric problems.
The problem with this picture is fairly simple — the evidence just doesn’t stack up. It’s true that there’s some potential benefit for ketamine when it comes to depression, but the data is thus far extremely unpersuasive. There’s no strong reason to believe that ketamine can do much for mental health.
The Theory
There are numerous theories as to why ketamine might have some benefit for issues like depression and bipolar disorder. Most of these center on the way that ketamine influences the brain. The drug is something called an NMDA antagonist, which means that it stops brain receptors that pick up a chemical called N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) from working. This leads to a whole raft of…
