A drug previously used as an anesthetic has been found to significantly reduce suicidal tendencies in depressed patients, say researchers.
The study showed that ketamine acutely reduced suicidal thoughts when patients were assessed 24 hours after a single infusion.
Overview Suicide
Suicide is an act of ending one's own life and it usually results from emotional isolations and inability to adjust and cope with one's environment.
Suicide is an act of ending one's own life and it usually results from emotional isolations and inability to adjust and cope with one's environment.
Corresponding author Rebecca Price called the findings encouraging.
"If these findings hold up in larger samples of high-risk suicidal patients, IV ketamine could prove an attractive treatment option in situations where waiting for a conventional antidepressant treatment to take effect might endanger the patient's life," she said.
Depression Calculator
A quick, simple and anonymous self-assessment health tool to assess the level of depression using the famous Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale.
A quick, simple and anonymous self-assessment health tool to assess the level of depression using the famous Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale.
The results were published in Biological Psychiatry.
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Restrictions For Anaesthetic Ketamine
The drug ketamine, which is also nicknamed as 'Fantastic Ket' is a general and animal anaesthetic.
The drug ketamine, which is also nicknamed as 'Fantastic Ket' is a general and animal anaesthetic.
