ECT more effective than ketamine in severe depression

While both ECT and ketamine can successfully treat a severely depressed patient, they may not always cure the underlying condition, as depression is generally recurrent. Approximately as large a proportion in the ECT group as in the ketamine group had a relapse within 12 months.

"We did not see the rapid effect of ketamine that other studies have shown. Instead, our results indicate that the effect is cumulative, and increases with the number of treatments. Older people generally responded less well to ketamine, while younger people responded as well to ECT as to ketamine", says Pouya Movahed Rad.

Six treatment sessions were required for both treatments in order to have a full recovery. More participants in the ketamine treatment chose to leave the study, than in the group treated with ECT.

"The group we studied had been offered ECT, but about half of them were now randomized to participate in the intravenous ketamine group. This may have been important because some of the participants chose to discontinue the ketamine treatment prematurely", says Pouya Movahed Rad.

In the group that received ECT, however, it was somewhat more common with persistent memory difficulties.

"Our results suggest that intravenous ketamine does not cause serious side effects in this patient group. No treatment should be overused, but ketamine should be an acceptable alternative for patients with severe depression. We want to continue by studying the blood samples and other data that we have collected, to see if we can find markers that help us choose the right treatment for the right patient", concludes Pouya Movahed Rad.