Millions of American adults — 21 million in 2021, for example — experience episodes of depression each year that make life feel hopeless, flat, and exhausting. For some of them, months of treatment fail to bring relief from their misery.
When you’ve tried medication, therapy, lifestyle changes, or a mix of approaches and still don’t feel better, you may think you have no other options. We want you to know that treatment-resistant depression doesn’t mean untreatable depression.
At Labyrinth Psychiatry Group, we help patients explore thoughtful, evidence-informed care when standard treatments haven’t brought enough relief. For some people, esketamine therapy offers another path through depression when symptoms persist despite conventional treatment.
Treatment resistance usually means depression hasn’t improved enough after trying at least two appropriate antidepressant drugs. It doesn’t mean you’ve done anything wrong.
Depression affects brain chemistry, stress systems, sleep, energy, motivation, and thought patterns in complex ways. Sometimes the brain needs a different type of support to break through depression’s grip.
Most traditional antidepressants work through neurotransmitter brain chemicals like serotonin, norepinephrine, or dopamine. These medications help many people, but not everyone. Some patients don’t get enough relief, even after trying more than two medications.
Ketamine works differently. It affects glutamate, a brain chemical that helps nerve cells communicate. Researchers believe this action helps the brain form new connections and shift patterns linked to depression.
Ketamine doesn’t erase life stress, trauma, grief, or long-standing depression overnight. Instead, it can create a window where the brain feels more flexible, so therapy, healthy routines, and medication management work more effectively.
Esketamine therapy is aimed at adults with treatment-resistant depression who haven’t found enough relief from standard care. It may also fit into a treatment plan for people who experience severe depressive symptoms, low motivation, hopelessness, and thoughts that life isn’t worth living.
Before we recommend esketamine therapy, we complete a careful evaluation, reviewing your:
We also talk with you about your goals, concerns, and expectations.
Esketamine therapy doesn’t suit everyone. People with certain medical conditions, uncontrolled blood pressure, a history of psychosis, or active substance misuse may need a different approach. We take safety seriously, and we never treat ketamine like a casual wellness trend.
At Labyrinth Psychiatry Group, we use Spravato® esketamine nasal spray, a simple, noninvasive method for delivering a therapeutic dose of ketamine. You must come to our clinic to receive treatment, which involves spraying the medicine into your nasal passages.
You stay with us for several hours afterward, because ketamine-based treatments can affect blood pressure, alertness, and perception. You may feel detached, dreamy, and a little disoriented. Some people notice changes in sound, time, or body awareness. These effects usually fade after the session.
You can’t drive after treatment, so you’ll need someone to take you home, and you’ll need time to rest.
Some patients notice changes within hours or days, while others need several sessions before they notice improvement. Some don’t respond as hoped. We’ll track your symptoms over time to see what’s changing and decide whether treatment should continue.
Improvement can show up in small but meaningful ways. You might wake up with a little more energy, feel less stuck, cry less often, or find it easier to take a shower, answer a message, or go outside — gradual steps that make a considerable difference to someone with depression.
Esketamine therapy works best when we pair it with ongoing psychiatric care. Medication management, therapy, sleep support, stress reduction, and healthy routines all help boost your progress.
We also offer transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), another cutting-edge approach to treating depression. A 2024 study showed positive results when using TMS and esketamine therapy for treatment-resistant depression.
Ketamine-based treatments can cause side effects like:
Ketamine also carries misuse potential, so we use clear safety standards. We don’t view it as a shortcut or a stand-alone cure but as one tool in a larger treatment plan for people who need more than standard approaches have offered.
Treatment-resistant depression traps you in a maze of despair. Our practice’s name, Labyrinth Psychiatry Group, reflects the reality that mental health treatment doesn’t always move in a straight line, and sometimes healing requires patience, guidance, and a new route forward.
If depression hasn’t improved despite your best efforts, you still have options. Esketamine therapy could help you take the next step toward relief, especially when combined with compassionate, structured psychiatric care.
We invite you to call Labyrinth Psychiatry Group’s offices in Cranford or Edison, New Jersey, or book an appointment online to learn whether esketamine therapy is a good fit. Together, we’ll help you move past depression.
