Acceptance and Commitment Therapy with Ketamine for Alcohol Use Disorder and Treatment-Resistant Depression: A Feasibility Study

What this Trial Is About

Researchers are evaluating a combined treatment approach for adults with Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) and Treatment-Resistant Depression (TRD), conditions that often occur together and complicate treatment. This study explores the use of ketamine, known for its rapid but temporary antidepressant effects, alongside Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), a form of psychotherapy aimed at improving psychological flexibility and addressing difficult emotions. The study aims to assess the feasibility and preliminary effects of this combined intervention on alcohol use and depressive symptoms in this challenging patient population. Participants will receive six intravenous ketamine infusions over four weeks, administered twice weekly in the third and fourth weeks, then once weekly in the fifth and sixth weeks. Ketamine doses start at 0.5 mg/kg and may be adjusted up to 1.0 mg/kg based on response and tolerability. Alongside ketamine, participants will attend eight weekly ACT psychotherapy sessions, each lasting 50 minutes, delivered in person or virtually. The ACT sessions focus on acceptance, values, committed action, and mindfulness exercises to support psychological flexibility and emotional coping. During the study, participants will be monitored closely with breathalyzer tests before each ketamine infusion to ensure abstinence from alcohol. Safety will be tracked through adverse event monitoring, and adherence to both ketamine infusions and psychotherapy sessions will be assessed over 12 weeks. Researchers will evaluate recruitment and consent rates, data collection quality, and resource use during treatment. The study includes careful observation of depressive symptoms and alcohol consumption to understand how the combined treatment affects these conditions.

ACT_for Alcohol Use Disorder and Depression