ArticlePsychopharmacology2023
Phenomenology and therapeutic potential of patient experiences during oral esketamine treatment for treatment-resistant depression: an interpretative phenomenological study.
Article in Psychopharmacology, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT06772753 (Investigation of Psychedelic Effects in Psychoactive Substances), which is not on this map. Cited by 11 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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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.
Investigation of Psychedelic Effects in Psychoactive Substances
Who cites it
11 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 25 citations in OpenAlex.
- How Do People Who Undergo Ketamine Treatment for a Psychiatric Problem Subjectively Experience This Intervention? A Meta-Synthesis of Qualitative Studies.International journal of mental health nursing · 2025Pooled it
- Patient-centred education for ketamine and esketamine therapies in mood disorders.Therapeutic advances in psychopharmacology · 2026Review
- Sex, drugs, and arousal-two randomized trials on the effects of ketamine on sexual arousal and calcarine gyrus activity.Therapeutic advances in psychopharmacology · 2026Article
- Patients' Voices on Ketamine for Treatment-Resistant Depression: A Narrative Review of Qualitative Perspectives.Journal of clinical medicine · 2025Review
- Patient Experience with Intranasal Esketamine in Treatment-Resistant Depression: Insights from a Multicentric Italian Study (REAL-ESKperience).Journal of personalized medicine · 2025Article
- At-home, telehealth-supported ketamine treatment for depression: Findings from longitudinal, machine learning and symptom network analysis of real-world data.Journal of affective disorders · 2024Article
- Enhancing Agency in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Therapies Through Sensorimotor Technologies.Journal of medical Internet research · 2024Article
- Patient experiences of treatment-resistant depression (TRD): A systematic review and qualitative meta-synthesis.PLOS mental health · 2024Article
- Double-Blind Comparison of the Two Hallucinogens Dextromethorphan and Psilocybin: Experience-Dependent and Enduring Psychological Effects in Healthy Volunteers.Psychedelic medicine (New Rochelle, N.Y.) · 2023Article
- The Patient's Perspective on the Effects of Intranasal Esketamine in Treatment-Resistant Depression.Brain sciences · 2023Article
- Overcoming the myths of esketamine administration: different and not difficult.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2023Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
8 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundKetamine and its enantiomers are widely researched and increasingly used to treat mental disorders, especially treatment-resistant depression. The phenomenology of ketamine-induced experiences and their relation to its psychotherapeutic potential have not yet been systematically investigated.
aimsTo describe the phenomenology of patient experiences during oral esketamine treatment for treatment-resistant depression (TRD) and to explore the potential therapeutic relevance of these experiences.
methodsIn-depth interviews were conducted with 17 patients after a 6-week, twice-weekly 'off label' generic oral esketamine (0.5-3.0mg/kg) treatment program. Interviews explored participants' perspectives, expectations, and experiences with oral esketamine treatment. Audio interviews were transcribed and analyzed using an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) framework.
resultsThe effects of ketamine were highly variable, and psychological distress was common in most patients. Key themes included (a) perceptual effects (auditory, visual, proprioceptive), (b) detachment (from body, self, emotions, and the world), (c) stillness and openness, (d) mystical-type effects (transcendence, relativeness, spirituality), and (e) fear and anxiety. Key themes related to post-session reports included (a) feeling hungover and fatigued, and (b) lifting the blanket: neutralizing mood effects.
conclusionPatients reported several esketamine effects with psychotherapeutic potential, such as increased openness, detachment, an interruption of negativity, and mystical-type experiences. These experiences deserve to be explored further to enhance treatment outcomes in patients with TRD. Given the frequency and severity of the perceived distress, we identify a need for additional support in all stages of esketamine treatment.
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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.