Ketamine

• But what many don’t realise is that these aren’t the only symptoms of depression.
• But despite how common this symptom is, it remains one of the most difficult symptoms to treat and manage.

Loss of pleasure

• Anhedonia is defined as the reduced interest or pleasure in all – or almost all – activities a person previously enjoyed.
• Although mainly associated with depression, anhedonia can also be a symptom of other disorders – such as schizophrenia, anxiety and Parkinson’s disease.
• In in-depth interviews my colleagues and I conducted with young people about depression, anhedonia was described by many as not just a loss of joy, but also less motivation to do things.
• For some, this lack of drive was only related to specific things – such as going to school or seeing friends.
• But the brain’s reward system isn’t straightforward, and actually involves various subprocesses – including anticipation, motivation, pleasure and learning about reward.

Treatment options

• For instance, research shows that talking therapies which focus on reward processing could help reduce anhedonia.
• This is because augmented depression therapy specifically targets anhedonia by having patients focus on both their negative and positive experiences.
• Read more:
  The science behind why hobbies can improve our mental health

  If you think you have anhedonia – or other symptoms of depression – it’s important not to ignore your feelings so you can get the help and treatment you deserve.

• Denver, CO, July 25, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Eating Recovery Center and Pathlight Mood & Anxiety Center (ERC Pathlight), the nation’s leading mental health care system dedicated to the treatment of eating disorders and primary mood and anxiety disorders, announced that Susan T. Weaver, MD, FACP, has joined the company as Chief Executive Officer.
• Dr. Weaver brings 25 years of healthcare leadership experience to ERC Pathlight, providing both medical expertise and a strategic perspective.
• Dr. Weaver will lead ERC Pathlight’s 2,000 teammates who provide compassionate care to nearly 9,000 patients every year, both in person and virtually.
• She knows firsthand what it means to provide excellent patient care,” said Andrew Cavanna, Chairman of ERC Pathlight.

• The publication highlights the results of the Cybin-sponsored Flow1 feasibility study demonstrating the capabilities of the Flow1 system to capture and analyze brain changes resulting from the administration of a psychoactive substance.
• The feasibility study is the largest functional near-infrared spectroscopy (“fNIRS”) study to measure the acute effect of a psychedelic and is the first ever fNIRS neuroimaging study evaluating ketamine in humans.
• “It was great to partner with Cybin on this work because of their commitment to pushing the boundaries to solve challenging problems.
• The study results also suggest that a combination of metrics may be predictive of subjective mystical experiences during psychedelic treatment,” said Doug Drysdale, Chief Executive Officer of Cybin.

• An Australasian study out today showed some positive results for people with treatment-resistant depression when they had ketamine injections.
• Read more:
  Weekly Dose: anaesthetic and recreational drug ketamine could be used to treat depression

What is ketamine?

• Psychedelics dramatically alter some neurotransmitters (chemical messengers) in the brain to create a profound change in perception, mood and anxiety.
• In early animal studies, ketamine led to increase in levels of certain brain chemicals, such as dopamine, by up to 400%.
• Now, doses of ketamine (at those lower than used as an anaesthetic) are being used to help treatment-resistant depression.

How about this new study?

• The trial randomised the 184 study participants into different groups – some receiving ketamine, the rest the drug midazolam, twice a week over four weeks.
• Neither the study participants nor those assessing the results knew who had ketamine and who didn’t.
• The researchers then looked for a score of less than 11, indicating a shift from a depression to remission.

There are other options

• Neither of these two options are routinely available in Australia and New Zealand outside clinical trials.
• There are also other drug and non-drug options for treatment-resistant depression.

In a nutshell

• This latest research shows promising outcomes for people whose symptoms are harder to treat.
• So if your existing treatment is not working for you, discuss this with your doctor who will explain what else is available.
• If this article has raised issues for you, or if you’re concerned about someone you know, call Lifeline on 13 11 14.