Esketamine in Treatment Resistant Depression: The Way to Remission

Major depressive disorder affects an estimate of 5% of the population with nearly 1‑third of patients failing to achieve remission with conventional pharmacological treatment. Esketamine, a novel rapid‑acting antidepressant, with a noncompetitive antagonism on N‑methyl‑D‑Aspartate receptor, have been recently approved by Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and European Medicines Agency (EMA) for treatment‑resistant depression. Here, we report a clinical case of a 42‑year‑old Caucasian woman who endured many years with severe depressive symptoms and high functional impairment. Previous treatments included cognitive behavioral therapy, numerous pharmacological trials with antidepressants and augmentation agents, and neurostimulation approaches. Upon treatment with esketamine, the patient presented remarkable clinical recovery. Psychometric assessments determined an acute reduction on the MADRS score after 1 week and progressive recovery of the depressive symptoms on the following weeks. Likewise, PHQ‑9 scale assessments, evaluating the relative frequency of depressive symptoms. and the Sheehan scale, assessing functional recovery, also determined a pronounced symptomatic relief.