Treatment-resistant depression is particularly characterized by symptoms that persist over a long period despite completed treatment. For this treatment to be relevant for you, two overarching steps must be met:
Step 1: You have a confirmed depressive episode
First and foremost, you must meet the standard clinical criteria for a depressive episode (or recurrent depressive disorder) lasting more than two weeks. Typical signs include:
- A persistent feeling of sadness, emptiness, or hopelessness.
- Loss of interest or the inability to feel pleasure in things you used to enjoy.
- Note: Other physical causes for the depression (such as vitamin deficiencies, hormonal imbalances, or other somatic illnesses) must be ruled out beforehand.
Step 2: The depression meets the criteria for treatment resistance
This isn't about your own subjective gut feeling, but about objective criteria in your medical records. To qualify for our specialized program, one of these three points must apply to you:
- Medication + Therapy: You have tried two or more different types of antidepressant medications and have been in talk therapy for over a year without significant improvement.
- Reservations + Therapy: You have strong personal reservations against using antidepressants, and have been in talk therapy for over a year without significant improvement.
- Side Effects + Therapy: You have experienced side effects so intolerable that medication is not an option for you, and have been in talk therapy for over a year without significant improvement.
What else is required to get started?
Since this is a specialized medical treatment, we must ensure that your support system and surroundings are entirely safe. Before starting, we conduct an interdisciplinary assessment of the following:
- Age: You must be over 18 years old and have the capacity to provide informed consent.
- Completed psychiatric screening: To ensure that the treatment is appropriate and safe for you, you must have undergone a thorough psychiatric evaluation beforehand.
- Stable Life Situation: You must have a safe and stable daily life (including secure housing, transportation, and sorted financing) so that you can complete the entire program, attend appointments, and manage any emotional experiences that may arise along the way.
- Medical Clearance: We require an updated medication list, relevant blood tests, and an ECG. We can easily request this via your GP (General Practitioner)—though the doctors at Dr.Dropin make the final clinical decision regarding your enrollment.
Please note that the list above is not exhaustive. A psychologist will always make a comprehensive and individual assessment of your situation. Meeting these basic criteria does not in itself mean that you will automatically be offered ketamine treatment.
