CU Anschutz offers hope through advanced treatment options when traditional therapies fail for major depressive disorder
As controversial ketamine clinics continue popping up across the country - some offering the psychoactive drug in spa-like settings alongside massages and cold plunges - a clinic on campus has been quietly treating people with the only approved version of the drug for two years.
Since its inception in fall 2023, the CU Anschutz Esketamine Clinic has provided about 40 patients therapy with the Food and Drug Administration-approved intranasal version. While the number might seem small, the results are immeasurable, said Andrew Novick, MD, PhD, program director.
"It is not overstating it to say we are saving lives," said Novick, an assistant professor of psychiatry who oversees the esketamine program in the Helen and Arthur E. Johnson Depression Center. "This is an illness that has an associated mortality to it. That's very important to keep in mind."
More innovative care on campus:
The Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Clinic is another advanced therapy option provided by the psychiatry department that has shown success with TRD.
The Brain and Behavior Innovation Center (BBICen) supports research on novel drug treatments, such as psychedelics, to help solve the nation's mental health crisis.
About 30% of people with major depressive disorder (MDD), which affects as many as 21 million U.S. adults, do not respond to current treatments. Filling that void, which often instills hopelessness in patients, is a priority in the mental health profession.
Death rates among people with MDD almost double that of the general population, and for patients with treatment-resistant depression (TRD), the rates are even higher, Novick said. "If you look at just death by suicide, it's almost two times higher in individuals with TRD compared to non-TRD," he said.
"We want to ensure that patients have access to the most innovative and effective options for psychiatric disorders." Below, Novick shares more on esketamine treatment and on the evolution of ketamine in the medical realm.
