Psychiatric services (Washington, D.C.)

Cost-effectiveness of Ketamine Compared to Electroconvulsive Therapy for Nonpsychotic Treatment-Resistant Depression

Psychedelic Science Weekly Brief ↗PubMed ↗DOI ↗

Updated

Abstract

The cost-effectiveness of racemic ketamine versus ECT for treatment-resistant depression is evaluated in terms of quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs).

  • Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is recognized as a highly effective treatment for depression that does not respond to other therapies.
  • Concerns about cognitive side effects have limited the use of ECT.
  • Recent evidence suggests that ketamine may sustain its efficacy for more than one month in treating treatment-resistant depression.
  • This examination focuses on comparing the costs and benefits of racemic ketamine and ECT specifically through QALYs.

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