ArticleTherapeutic advances in psychopharmacology2021
Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials of ketamine in the treatment of refractory anxiety spectrum disorders.
Article in Therapeutic advances in psychopharmacology, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 24 papers, 3 of them syntheses 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
24 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 48 citations in OpenAlex.
- So how special is special K? A systematic review and meta-analysis of ketamine for PTSD RCTs.European journal of psychotraumatology · 2024Pooled it
- A transdiagnostic systematic review and meta-analysis of ketamine's anxiolytic effects.Journal of psychopharmacology (Oxford, England) · 2023Pooled it
- The effect of ketamine on cognition, anxiety, and social functioning in adults with psychiatric disorders: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in neuroscience · 2022Pooled it
- Ketamine's impact on rumination-related brain dynamics: insights from a randomized controlled fMRI trial.Translational psychiatry · 2026Trial
- Ketamine for treatment-resistant major depressive disorder: Double-blind active-controlled crossover study.Journal of psychopharmacology (Oxford, England) · 2024Trial
- Ketamine's acute effects on negative brain states are mediated through distinct altered states of consciousness in humans.Nature communications · 2023Trial
- Bifunctional Modulation of NMDA and Opioid Receptors in Ketamine Reinforcement and Misuse: Implications for Substance Use Disorder Treatment.Biological psychiatry · 2026Review
- Enhancing plasticity to treat depression and other central nervous system diseases using event-driven pharmacology.Journal of psychopharmacology (Oxford, England) · 2026Review
- Ketamine effects on EEG and their links to therapy differ across treatment-resistant major depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and obsessive-compulsive disorder.The international journal of neuropsychopharmacology · 2026Article
- Perioperative Anxiety in Adults: A Narrative Review of Pathophysiology, Assessment, and Multimodal Management Strategies.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Ketamine or Esketamine in Special Populations of Patients With Treatment-Resistant Depression.Medical science monitor : international medical journal of experimental and clinical research · 2026Review
- Difficult-to-Treat Anxiety: A Neurocomputational Framework.Biological psychiatry. Cognitive neuroscience and neuroimaging · 2025Review
- Ketamine as adjuvant treatment in eating disorders: an exploratory study of a case series and retrospective analysis.Journal of eating disorders · 2025Article
- Redefining Ketamine Pharmacology for Antidepressant Action: Synergistic NMDA and Opioid Receptor Interactions?The American journal of psychiatry · 2025Review
- Effects of Ketamine vs. Midazolam in Adolescent Treatment Resistant Depression.Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Combined Effects of Nasal Ketamine and Trauma-Focused Psychotherapy in Treatment-Resistant Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: A Pilot Case Series.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Ketamine in neuropsychiatric disorders: an update.Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology · 2024Review
- Intravenous ketamine for benzodiazepine deprescription and withdrawal management in treatment-resistant depression: a preliminary report.Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology · 2023Article
- Ketamine for Treatment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: State of the Field.Focus (American Psychiatric Publishing) · 2023Review
- The antidepressant actions of ketamine and its enantiomers.Pharmacology & therapeutics · 2023Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundAnxiety disorders are common, associated with significant burden of disease, and have high levels of treatment resistance. Low-dose ketamine has been extensively studied in treatment-resistant depression, with fewer reports in treatment-resistant anxiety disorders.
aimsThis systematic review and meta-analysis collected efficacy, safety, and tolerability data for ketamine as a treatment for anxiety spectrum disorders.
methodsWe conducted a systematic search for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of acute ketamine treatment for patients with anxiety disorders. Open-label trials of ketamine maintenance therapy were also considered. Qualitative and, where possible, quantitative syntheses of findings were performed using Review Manager software (RevMan). Acute dose-response and maintenance treatment data were also collected.
resultsThere were six eligible acute RCTs - two in social anxiety disorder (SAD), three in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and one in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Four of the six showed significant improvement in anxiety rating scores in ketamine compared with control groups. Pooled analysis showed ketamine was associated with an increased likelihood of treatment response for SAD (odds ratio (OR): 28.94; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 3.45-242.57;
conclusionThese preliminary analyses suggest that acute ketamine may be broadly effective across treatment-resistant anxiety spectrum disorders. These effects can be prolonged with maintenance treatment. Future studies will be needed to provide critical knowledge gaps around off-label use, side effects, and potential risks for abuse in clinical settings.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
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.