Ketamine therapy has a swift short-term effect on reducing symptoms of depression and suicidal thoughts, new research has found.

The effect lasted up to two weeks.

"It is important to note that this review examined ketamine administration in carefully controlled clinical settings where any risks of ketamine can be safely managed," Mollaahmetoglu added.

This improvement was seen as early as four hours following ketamine treatment and lasted on average three days, and up to a week, the research said.

For other psychiatric disorders, including anxiety disorders, post-traumatic stress disorders and obsessive-compulsive disorders, there is early evidence to suggest the potential benefit of ketamine treatment, it added.

Moreover, for individuals with substance use disorders, ketamine treatment led to short-term reductions in craving, consumption and withdrawal symptoms.

"We're finding that ketamine may have promising benefits for conditions that are notoriously hard to treat in the clinic. We now need bigger and better-designed trials to test these benefits," said co-author Celia Morgan from the varsity.

(This story was published from a syndicated feed. Only the headline and picture has been edited by FIT)