Ketamine is known to be an effective antidepressant for people whose depression has not responded to other treatment.
The paper highlights the need for ethical and innovative professional action by setting out key qualities of the responsible clinician in providing ketamine treatment.
Professor Ilina Singh from the Oxford University Department of Psychiatry and lead author on the paper, said: 'Our approach balances the potential harms of ketamine use for treatment-resistant depression, such as its misuse potential, with a focus on reporting structures that promote the broad benefits of clinical innovation and the ethical judgment of the clinician. We argue that the clinician who exemplifies inventiveness, humility and responsibility can contribute to innovation and promote justice for patients who seek ketamine treatment.'
The paper also recommends that clinics should routinely submit data to a national registry about each patient treated with ketamine, and that professional bodies should provide regularly updated guidance on the details of clinical protocols in the light of emerging evidence.