‘Lifesaving’ ketamine offers new hope for PTSD sufferers
A growing number of Americans are turning to ketamine — long used as a surgical anesthetic and known for recreational misuse — as a powerful treatment for depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD. A new University of Florida study, led by 2024 graduate Shahar Almog, Ph.D., suggests that the drug may offer even more mental health benefits than previously thought.
When used under medical supervision, ketamine may help people with PTSD disconnect from their emotions and better process traumatic experiences. About 6 to 7% of U.S. adults will develop PTSD in their lifetimes, often alongside depression and anxiety, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. But while these comorbid conditions tend to go hand in hand, they are usually treated separately — a gap UF researchers are hoping ketamine can help fill.
“While only a small fraction of U.S. adults may receive a PTSD diagnosis, many of those traumatic events trigger depression, anxiety and other conditions, which can impact functioning and living a fulfilling life,” said Meredith Berry, Ph.D., an associate professor in the UF College of Health & Human Performance’s Department of Health Education & Behavior, who co-authored a recent study on the topic in the European Journal of Trauma & Dissociation.
The researchers looked at real-world patients who were prescribed ketamine in community clinics. The study gained deeper insight into the patients’ perspectives and explored the impact of other types of therapies. Most of the patients received treatment for anxiety or depression, but nearly half also reported PTSD.
“We see that a lot of people have trauma and suffer from PTSD, and ketamine offers a way to process the trauma and improve a variety of symptoms,” said Almog, the study’s lead author, a former postdoctoral research associate in the Department of Health Education & Behavior and a current postdoctoral fellow at Florida Atlantic University. “People are describing it [ketamine treatment] as a lifesaving medication … it’s so hopeful that there might be a good treatment option.”
Of the 202 patients who responded to the researchers’ anonymous online survey, 98 reported a PTSD diagnosis. After treatment, more than 80% of those with PTSD reported sleeping better, feeling less anxious, experiencing fewer trauma triggers and enjoying a better quality of life overall.
Additionally, the study found that, while those with PTSD started off with more severe depression, anxiety and difficulty sleeping, they improved with ketamine treatment just as much as the group without PTSD. Even though 72% of the PTSD group also received other forms of therapy like talk therapy and art-based therapy, these additional treatments did not result in added improvements in depression, anxiety and sleep outcomes.
“Medical [ketamine] induces a controlled dissociation that separates the patient from trauma without being drawn into the fear,” Almog said. “It allows the patient to look at the trauma without reexperiencing it.”
Almog and Berry will next evaluate the effects of a program that combines ketamine therapy and trauma-informed yoga, which builds body-mind awareness while encouraging healing from the effects of traumatic memories.
While the researchers believe the latest study provides tangible evidence for the benefits of ketamine therapy on PTSD symptoms — and on depression, anxiety, sleep and overall quality of life — additional research is needed to better understand the role of other therapies coupled with ketamine.
“It can be harmful [when misused], so we need to continue to better understand who it is good for and how to avoid harm,” Almog said. “We don’t want another opioid epidemic.”
Additionally, changes in label use are critical for patients to safely access and afford ketamine treatment. Policy changes are also essential to improve access.
“We need more research to get it to insurance,” Almog said. “Some people can’t afford it.”