[smt88]

I would strongly suggest that anyone reading this with depression disregard personal anecdotes like these. The placebo effect is powerful, and it's dangerous to self-medicate when suicide is a possible side effect or consequence.

[pizza]

“In a nutshell, I feel confident telling patients who have had little help from previous treatments that ketamine provides meaningful relief from some of their worst symptoms for at least a few days or even weeks,’’ said Dr. Gerard Sanacora, professor of psychiatry and director of the Yale Depression Research Program and primary author of the JAMA report. “But I can’t tell them with any degree of certainty how long the benefit can be sustained or how safe it is to repeatedly administer the medication over periods of months or years.”

http://news.yale.edu/2017/03/01/ketamine-eases-severe-depres...

The method of action of ketamine is thought to be via hydroxynorketamine, not placebo which I don't really see as being pertinent - maybe confirmation bias, but not placebo. I also contend that suicidality is not long-term stable- supposing a typical antidepressants regimen is ineffective and only frustrates a patient, then to not pursue a treatment with a pretty strong effect strength would lead to more suicides as the outcome, imo.