Ketamine in a group setting: can it help Spanish-Speaking adults with depression?
NCT ID NCT06597695
First seen Sep 10, 2026 · Last updated Sep 11, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
Researchers are testing a group-based ketamine-assisted psychotherapy program designed for Spanish-speaking adults with depression. The trial enrolls 10 adults who have major depressive disorder and a Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale score of 20 or higher. Participants receive preparatory sessions, ketamine dosing, and integration therapy in a group format. The study measures whether the program can be delivered as planned, monitors safety through vital signs and heart-rhythm tracking, and looks at changes in depression symptoms and well-being.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- ketamine-assisted psychotherapy delivered in a group format
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could offer a culturally tailored, group-based treatment option for Spanish-speaking adults with depression who often face barriers to care.
- What could go wrong
- This is a tiny pilot study of 10 people, so it cannot prove the treatment works. Ketamine can cause dissociation, raise blood pressure, and carry risks of misuse, and group therapy may not suit everyone.
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Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Phase 1/2
Runs two stages together: safety and dose first, then whether the treatment works.
- Participants
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About 10 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Jul 2025
- Expected to finish
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Jul 2027
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 to 64 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: 1\. Self-identifying Latinx, Spanish-speaking 2. Adults 18-64 years 3. Meet DSM-5 criteria for major depressive disorder as evaluated by study clinician 4. Montgomery-Asberg depression scale (MADRS) score of 20 or above at baseline 4. Participants must have an MGB psychiatrist and primary care provider. Exclusion Criteria: 1. History of primary psychotic disorder, by history 2. History Bipolar I disorder, by history 3. Unstable complex PTSD, as assessed by study clinician 4. History of dissociative identity disorder 5. History of neurocognitive disorder 6. History of severe and/or recent substance use disorder, by history and as assessed by study clinician after clinical evaluation and interview 7. Uncontrolled hypertension, tachycardia, or unstable cardiopulmonary disease, by history a. Blood pressure on initial screen must be \<140/90 mmHg. 8. History of aortic dissection 9. History of myocardial infarction 10. History of aneurysm 11. History of hepatic impairment. 12. History of epilepsy 13. History of prior hypersensitivity to ketamine 14. Body Mass Index greater than 35 15. Body Mass Index less than 18.5 16. Are pregnant, breastfeeding, or planning to become pregnant within 12 weeks of treatment completion 17. Enrolled in other clinical trial for the treatment of depression or other behavioral health diagnosis 18. Inability to provide consent.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Massachusetts General Hospital, Chelsea
RECRUITINGChelsea, Massachusetts, 02114, United States
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