Ketamine will be tested against a dummy pill in 60 adults with both chronic anorexia and depression that has not responded to standard antidepressants. This matters because around a third of people with anorexia develop a long-term form of the illness, and depression often blocks recovery. Existing antidepressants do not work for these patients, leaving a gap with no effective treatment. Ketamine is already used for depression in the UK, but has not been tested in this specific group. If the trial shows that ketamine is tolerable and acceptable to patients, it could provide a new option for a condition with a high death rate and few treatments. The study also includes ten psychoeducation sessions designed to boost ketamine’s effects. Researchers will measure depression, anorexia symptoms, suicidality, and quality of life at several points over seven months, and will take blood samples to track ketamine levels. Success here would not mean a cure, but could restore enough motivation and hope for people to engage with recovery from anorexia itself.
View original technical description
Anorexia nervosa is a restrictive eating disorder that has a high rate of death. Approximately a third of people develop a persisting form of illness, which is often accompanied by depression, which is a barrier to recovery. Anti-depressant medications are not effective in treating depression in patients with chronic anorexia and new treatments are needed. Ketamine is currently used for the treatment of depression in the UK and may be effective in patients with AN and additional depression. The hope for this study is that people with both, anorexia, and depression, will experience relief from depression and thus get back their hope for improvement, motivation, and strength to fight their anorexia. The EDEN project aims to investigate the effect of ketamine in alleviating depression in 60 adults with a diagnosis of persisting anorexia and treatment-resistant depression. Participants in the study will randomly receive either ketamine, or a dummy pill, twice a week for a total of six months. To verify that the drug is tolerable, the first four doses will be given in the Clinical Research Facility at King's College London, where participants will be monitored by medical professionals. After this point, and if the drug is tolerated well, participants can take the drug home. All participants will also receive ten "psychoeducation and integration" sessions which are designed to increase the beneficial effects of ketamine. The main outcome will be looking at whether a sufficient number of people were recruited into the study and did not drop out over the duration of the study period, and whether people found the drug, as well as taking part in the study itself, acceptable. Measurements of depression, anorexia symptoms, suicidality, and quality of life will be taken after 28 days, and 3-, 6- and 7 months. Blood samples will also be taken in order to look at levels of ketamine.
Allan Young (Co-Investigator)Ben Carter (Co-Investigator)Carol Kan (Co-Investigator)Caroline Murphy (Co-Investigator)Hubertus Himmerich (Principal Investigator)Janet Treasure (Co-Investigator)Mario Francisco Pereira Juruena (Co-Investigator)Mitul Mehta (Co-Investigator)Vanessa Lawrence (Co-Investigator)
Plain English summaries and category classifications on this site are generated by AI and may not perfectly reflect the original research.
Is something wrong? Let us know