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Combined ketamine and psychotherapy provide no additional benefit beyond ketamine alone in treating depression or PTSD: Evidence from a help-seeking sample.

Journal of affective disorders
April 7, 2025
Tyler M Moore et al. (10 authors)
Journal ArticleHuman Study
Study Details

Study Goal

The researchers aimed to determine whether combining ketamine with psychotherapy produces greater symptom improvement for depression and PTSD compared to ketamine alone.

Results Summary

Both ketamine alone and ketamine plus psychotherapy showed substantial improvement in depression and PTSD symptoms, with no significant differences between the two groups. Exploratory analyses suggested potential demographic-specific treatment responses, but these were not statistically significant.

Population

Help-seeking individuals (∼60% female, mean age ∼42 years) with depression and/or PTSD.

Effective Dosage

Not specified

Duration

4-14 treatment sessions within a 30- or 180-day period

Interactions

None mentioned

Extracted Claims (10)
InterventionDirectionEndpointPopulationDosageImpactClaim #
ketamine
decrease
depression and PTSD
help-seeking individuals
-
emerged as a promising rapid-acting treatment
#1
psychotherapy
decrease
depression and PTSD
help-seeking individuals
-
typically require weeks to show effects
#2
ketamine plus psychotherapy
decrease
depression symptoms
help-seeking individuals
-
showed substantial improvement
#3
ketamine plus psychotherapy
decrease
PTSD symptoms
help-seeking individuals
-
showed substantial improvement
#4
ketamine alone
decrease
depression symptoms
help-seeking individuals
-
showed substantial improvement
#5
ketamine alone
decrease
PTSD symptoms
help-seeking individuals
-
showed substantial improvement
#6
ketamine plus psychotherapy
no change
depression and PTSD symptoms
help-seeking individuals
no significant differences
found no significant differences in symptom trajectories
#7
ketamine alone
no change
depression and PTSD symptoms
help-seeking individuals
no significant differences
found no significant differences in symptom trajectories
#8
ketamine plus psychotherapy
decrease
depression and PTSD symptoms
younger females
-
showed better outcomes
#9
ketamine alone
decrease
depression and PTSD symptoms
older males
-
showed better outcomes
#10
Abstract

Depression and PTSD are prevalent psychiatric conditions that often co-occur and significantly impact quality of life. Ketamine has emerged as a promising rapid-acting treatment for both conditions, while traditional treatments like psychotherapy typically require weeks to show effects. This study investigated whether combining ketamine with psychotherapy produces greater symptom improvement compared to ketamine alone. We analyzed overlapping samples of N = 202, N = 470, and N = 624 help-seeking individuals (all samples ∼60 % female, mean age ∼ 42 years) who received either ketamine alone (KET) or ketamine plus psychotherapy (KET+PSY) across 4-14 treatment sessions within a 30- or 180-day period. Depression symptoms were measured using the PHQ-9, and PTSD symptoms were assessed using the PCL-5. Trajectories of symptom change were analyzed using generalized additive mixed-effects models, controlling for baseline symptoms, demographics, and treatment intervals. Both treatment groups showed substantial improvement in depression and PTSD symptoms, with similar patterns of rapid initial decline followed by stabilization. Contrary to our hypothesis, we found no significant differences in symptom trajectories between the KET and KET+PSY groups. Exploratory analyses revealed non-significant but notable patterns where younger females showed better outcomes with combined treatment, while older males showed better outcomes with ketamine alone. These findings suggest that ketamine's therapeutic effects may be robust enough that additional psychotherapy during the acute treatment phase does not significantly enhance 30-day (and possibly 180-day) outcomes. However, longer-term benefits of combined treatment and potential demographic-specific treatment responses warrant further investigation. These results have important implications for treatment planning and resource allocation in clinical settings.

Study Links
Quality Scores
SafetyNot Assessed
Efficacy85/10
Quality78/10
Research Impact Scores
APT Score0.05
Weight Score2.56
Normalized Score0.70
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