title: Ketamine users have high rates of psychosis and/or depression.
abstract: Ketamine has been linked to psychosis and used in the treatment of depression. However, no study has examined the prevalence of psychotic and depressive disorders in dependent ketamine users. This study aimed to examine the frequency of various psychopathologies among a series of patients seeking treatment for ketamine use in Hong Kong, China. The case records of 129 patients with a history of ketamine use receiving treatment at three substance use clinics between January 2008 and August 2012 were retrieved for data collection. Patients' demographic data, patterns of substance misuse, and comorbid psychiatric diagnoses were recorded and entered into analyses. The mean age of onset and length of ketamine use were 17.7 ± 4.4 and 8.7 ± 5.7 years, respectively. All patients were dependent on ketamine at the time of data collection. Multiple substance misuse was common. Eighty-four of the 129 (65.1%) patients were found to have comorbid psychiatric disorders, most commonly substance-induced psychotic disorder (31.8%) followed by depressive disorder (27.9%). Psychosis and/or depression were common in ketamine-dependent patients referred to a psychiatric substance use clinic. The findings provide evidence of an association between chronic ketamine use and the presence of psychosis and/or depression. The results raise the issue of safety when using ketamine in the long-term treatment of depression.
authors.affiliation: Hua Jun Liang, PhD, and Wai Kwong Tang, MD, Department of Psychiatry, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.Ka Lam Tang, MD, Department of Psychiatry, Prince of Wales Hospital, Hong Kong SAR, China. Fu Chan, MD, Department of Psychiatry, North District Hospital, Hong Kong SAR, China. Gabor Sandor Ungvari, MD, PhD, School of Psychiatry & Clinical Neuroscience, University of Western Australia, and University of Notre Dame/Marian Centre, Perth, Australia.
authors.forename: Hua Jun
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Liang
authors.forename: Ka Lam
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.forename: Fu
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.forename: Gabor Sandor
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Ungvari
authors.forename: Wai Kwong
authors.initials: WK
authors.lastname: Tang
mesh_terms: D000700:Analgesics / Q000009:adverse effects*; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000188:drug therapy; D017831:Diagnosis, Dual (Psychiatry); D005260:Female; D006723:Hong Kong; D006801:Humans; D013287:Illicit Drugs / Q000009:adverse effects; D007649:Ketamine / Q000009:adverse effects*; D008297:Male; D011605:Psychoses, Substance-Induced / Q000209:etiology* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000150:complications*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000700:Analgesics; D013287:Illicit Drugs; D007649:Ketamine