Treatment-resistant depression – News, Research and Analysis – The Conversation

April 28, 2025

A ketamine nasal spray will be subsidised for treatment‑resistant depression. Here’s what you need to know about Spravato

Nial Wheate, Macquarie University and Shoohb Alassadi, University of Sydney

After May 1, the drug will cost a tiny fraction of its original price. But it can’t be taken at home.

Transcranial direction current stimulation may help improve depression symptoms in hard-to-treat cases. ArtemisDiana/ Shutterstock

October 30, 2024

Electrical currents delivered to the brain at home may lead to significant reductions in depression symptoms – new research

Amanda Ellison, Durham University

Transcranial direct current stimulation delivers a weak electrical current to the brain to improve depression symptoms.

Psychedelics like ketamine affect chemical messengers in the brain. Shutterstock

July 14, 2023

Ketamine injections for depression? A new study shows promise, but it’s one of many options

Michael Musker, University of South Australia

This latest research provides hope for people whose symptoms are harder to treat.

A diagnosis of treatment-resistant depression can lead to a sense of hopelessness and despair in some patients. Maria Korneeva/Moment via Getty Images

March 15, 2023

Depression too often gets deemed ‘hard to treat’ when medication falls short

Elissa H. Patterson, University of Michigan and Jay Kayser, University of Michigan

An overreliance on medication as the first-line treatment for depression can lead some people to be labeled with treatment-resistant depression when there are other viable alternatives for relief.

Collaborative care teams will need to be established for safe treatment.

February 7, 2023

The TGA has approved certain psychedelic treatments: the response from experts is mixed

Paul Liknaitzky, Monash University

From July this year, some psychiatrists will be able to prescribe psychedelics to some patients. Responses from experts working in the field are mixed.

Psychedelics are being held up as a potential solution to the growing need for mental health treatment. But, magic mushrooms are not magic bullets. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)

January 15, 2023

Alberta’s new policy on psychedelic drug treatment for mental illness: Will Canada lead the psychedelic renaissance?

Erika Dyck, University of Saskatchewan

Alberta’s new policy on psychedelic-assisted therapy for mental illness may set a precedent that moves Canadians one step closer to accepting psychedelics as medicinal substances.

Ketamine is effective for those who do not respond to traditional anti-depressants. It also shows promise for the treatment of PTSD and bipolar disorder. (Unsplash/Kal Visuals)

May 14, 2019

Ketamine: The illicit party psychedelic that promises to heal depression

Brett Melanson, University of Guelph

Research shows that ketamine can produce long-term reductions in symptoms of treatment-resistant depression.

The vine Banisteriopsis caapi is one ingredient in ayahuasca, a psychedelic brew that Amazonian indigenous populations have long used for spiritual purposes. Apollo/flickr

June 28, 2018

Amazonian psychedelic may ease severe depression, new study shows

Luís Fernando Tófoli, Universidade Estadual de Campinas (Unicamp); Dráulio Barros de Araújo, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN), and Fernanda Palhano-Fontes, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN)

Ayahuasca has long been used for indigenous healing and spiritual rituals. Now, a Brazilian clinical trial has confirmed that this psychoactive drink can help those with even severe depression.

The experimental technique of ‘deep brain stimulation’ has improved the lives of patients with treatment-resistant depression, despite the ‘failure’ of a large clinical trial. (Shutterstock)

December 20, 2017

Could an experimental brain surgery make you happier?

Kylie Gionet, University of Toronto

For some patients, drilling a hole in the skull and inserting an electrode into the ‘sadness centre’ of the brain offers relief from debilitating and otherwise treatment-resistant depression.

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