Hyped as a Depression Treatment, Ketamine Is a Mystery
Hallucinogens, which are increasingly being sold as a cure to many ills, deserve a lot more study.
A blister pack of Ketamine lozenges used for psychedelic therapy.
Photographer: Cole Burston/AFP/Getty ImagesFor more than a decade, ketamine has been capturing headlines as a miracle treatment for people with severe depression. But even with reasonably strong evidence the drug can offer short-term, fast-acting relief from depression, researchers still aren’t entirely sure how it works — or even how much of its benefits are due to its ability to rewire connections in the brain versus the mind-altering experience of taking it.
The need to untangle the most crucial contributors to ketamine’s effectiveness is becoming increasingly acute. Ketamine clinics have proliferated in the US, some overpromising on what the drug can deliver. And even doctors who have seen many patients helped by ketamine worry that the hype might lead to illegal use. Last week, researchers reported that seizures of illicit ketamine have risen steadily since 2017.