Department of Psychiatry, Kolling Institute, Sydney Medical School, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia; CADE Clinic, Department of Psychiatry, Royal North Shore Hospital, St Leonards, NSW, Australia
Yulisha Byrow
CADE Clinic, Department of Psychiatry, Royal North Shore Hospital, St Leonards, NSW, Australia
Frederick Cassidy
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
Andrea Cipriani
Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK; Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, Warneford Hospital, Oxford, UK
Koen Demyttenaere
KU Leuven, Department of Neurosciences, Research Group of Psychiatry, University Psychiatric Center, Leuven, Belgium
Mark A. Frye
Psychiatry, Mayo Clinic Depression Center, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
Michael Gitlin
Department of Psychiatry, Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA
Sidney H. Kennedy
Arthur Sommer Rotenberg Chair in Suicide & Depression Studies, St. Michael's Hospital; Professor of Psychiatry, University Health Network and Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
Terence A. Ketter
Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Chief, Bipolar Disorders Clinic, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
Raymond W. Lam
Department of Psychiatry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
Rupert McShane
Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford, UK
Alex J. Mitchell
Liaison Psychiatry and Psycho-Oncology, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK
Michael J. Ostacher
Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System, Palo Alto, CA, USA
Sakina J. Rizvi
Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, ASR Suicide and Depression Studies Program, St. Michael's Hospital; Department of Psychiatry and Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
Michael E. Thase
Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA Corporal Michael J. Crescenz Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA, USA
The appeal of ketamine – in promptly ameliorating depressive symptoms even in those with non-response – has led to a dramatic increase in its off-label use. Initial promising results await robust corroboration and key questions remain, particularly concerning its long-term administration. It is, therefore, timely to review the opinions of mood disorder experts worldwide pertaining to ketamine's potential as an option for treating depression and provide a synthesis of perspectives – derived from evidence and clinical experience – and to consider strategies for future investigations.
