Keywords

Ketamine; Veteran; PTSD

Abstract

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in United States veterans has a long history of treatment with standard care interventions and therapies. Unfortunately, many modern-day veterans experience treatment resistance and comorbid depressive symptoms that have yet to be resolved. This results in suicidal ideation, hospital readmission, and high treatment dropout rates of care plans. Recent evidence has shown a positive impact of ketamine, and esketamine, therapy on PTSD and depressive symptoms severity. Although, the outcomes and generalizability of this emerging therapy, compared to standard care, are not fully elucidated on. The purpose of this literary review was to further examine the current evidence of ketamine and esketamine use in treating U.S. veterans with PTSD and identify themes that could generate more research to the mental health field. A systematic search of MEDLINE, CINAHL Ultimate, and related databases was conducted to identify peer-reviewed studies published between 2015 and 2025 involving United States veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder who received ketamine or esketamine treatment. Seven studies met inclusion criteria and were critically appraised using the Joanna Briggs Institute appraisal tools. Within this design, the studies positively correlated rapid antidepressant effects, PTSD symptom variability, and minimal to no therapeutic risk while using ketamine-based therapies to treat PTSD in the veteran population. This study is important because it contributes to improving outcomes for veterans, evidence-based practice, and the future of alternative medicine.

Thesis Completion Year

2026

Thesis Completion Semester

Spring

Thesis Chair

Tucker, Sharon

College

College of Nursing

Department

Nursing

Thesis Discipline

Nursing

Language

English

Access Status

Open Access

Length of Campus Access

None

Campus Location

Orlando (Main) Campus

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