Abstract

Ketamine use for patients with severe treatment-resistant depression continues to be an area of interest due to the relatively limited number of treatment options for those patients. Although its use as a treatment option for patients with schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder may seem counterintuitive, in this case report, we explore the efficacy of ketamine for depressive episodes in schizoaffective disorder. This patient who carried a diagnosis of schizoaffective disorder was given 300 mg of intramuscular ketamine for agitation. However, over the course of four days of inpatient stay, her depression drastically improved. She met criteria for remission with the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAM-D) score of 4, down from an initial score of 21. We advocate for a better understanding of the pros and cons of using ketamine for depression in schizoaffective disorders considering the controversy over the diagnosis of schizoaffective disorder, especially in African American population. At the urging of reducing the risk of suicide among this group and improving their quality of life as well as reducing financial burden by shortening total duration of hospitalization, it may be worthwhile to explore the feasibility of ketamine as a treatment option for severe depression in these patients, possibly as a last resort.

Keywords: Ketamine; Schizoaffective; Depression; African Americans; Hamilton rating scale for depression (HAM-D)