ArticlePloS one2017
Analysis of print news media framing of ketamine treatment in the United States and Canada from 2000 to 2015.
Article in PloS one, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
14 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 36 citations in OpenAlex.
- Efficacy of psilocybin for treating symptoms of depression: systematic review and meta-analysis.BMJ (Clinical research ed.) · 2024Pooled it
- Oral esketamine in patients with treatment-resistant depression: a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial with open-label extension.Molecular psychiatry · 2024Trial
- Effect of ketamine combined with lidocaine in pediatric anesthesia.Journal of clinical laboratory analysis · 2020Trial
- Shifting Narratives in Media Coverage Across a Decade of Drug Discourse in the Philadelphia Inquirer: Qualitative Sentiment Analysis.JMIR infodemiology · 2025Article
- Safety considerations and risk mitigation strategies for ketamine use: a comprehensive review.Annals of medicine and surgery (2012) · 2025Review
- Major Depression in Comorbidity with Substance use Disorders: Patients' Features and Clinical-Neurobiological Rationale of Antidepressant Treatments.Current neuropharmacology · 2025Review
- Breaking down barriers to COPD management in primary care: applying the updated 2023 Canadian Thoracic Society guideline for pharmacotherapy.Frontiers in medicine · 2024Review
- A systematic review of the print media representation of ketamine treatments for psychiatric disorders.BJPsych open · 2023Review
- Ketamine use in relation to depressive symptoms among high school seniors.The American journal on addictions · 2022Article
- Non-parenteral Ketamine for Depression: A Practical Discussion on Addiction Potential and Recommendations for Judicious Prescribing.CNS drugs · 2022Article
- Holding on or letting go? Patient experiences of control, context, and care in oral esketamine treatment for treatment-resistant depression: A qualitative study.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2022Article
- Evaluation of Volume of News Reporting and Opioid-Related Deaths in the United States: Comparative Analysis Study of Geographic and Socioeconomic Differences.Journal of medical Internet research · 2020Article
- Exploring patients' and carers' views about the clinical use of ketamine to inform policy and practical decisions: mixed-methods study.BJPsych open · 2019Article
- Characteristics of patients expressing an interest in ketamine treatment: results of an online survey.BJPsych open · 2018Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesThere are multifaceted views on the use of ketamine, a potentially addictive substance, to treat mental health problems. The past 15 years have seen growing media coverage of ketamine for medical and other purposes. This study examined the print news media coverage of medical and other uses of ketamine in North America to determine orientations and trends over time.
methodsPrint newspaper coverage of ketamine from 2000 to 2015 was reviewed, resulting in 43 print news articles from 28 North American newspapers. A 55-item structured coding instrument was applied to assess news reports of ketamine. Items captured negative and positive aspects, therapeutic use of ketamine, and adverse side effects. Chi-squares tested for changes in trends over time.
resultsIn the 15-year reviewed period, the three most frequent themes related to ketamine were: abuse (68.2%), legal status (34.1%), and clinical use in anesthesia (31.8%). There was significant change in trends during two periods (2000-2007 and 2008-2015). In 2008-2015, print news media articles were significantly more likely to encourage clinical use of ketamine to treat depression (p = 0.002), to treat treatment resistant depression (p = 0.043), and to claim that ketamine is more effective than conventional antidepressants (p = 0.043).
conclusionsOur review found consistent positive changes in the portrayals of ketamine by the print news media as a therapeutic antidepressant that mirror the recent scientific publications. These changes in news media reporting might influence the popularity of ketamine use to treat clinical depression. Guidance is required for journalists on objective reporting of medical research findings, including limitations of current research evidence and potential risks of ketamine.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.