It can feel discouraging and exhausting to live with depression and not find relief from traditional treatment. For people experiencing difficult-to-treat depression, there are alternative, hopeful treatment options that can offer relief from symptoms. One of those innovative depression treatment options is Spravato®.
Understanding Difficult-to-Treat Depression
Difficult-to-treat depression happens when depression symptoms do not improve after trying two or more traditional antidepressants. For many, this means ongoing low mood, loss of interest, fatigue, and difficulty functioning, even while actively engaging in depression treatment.
Major depressive disorder (MDD) is one of the most common mental health conditions in the United States, affecting about 1 in 15 adults each year. Research in the American Journal of Psychiatry shows that nearly one-third of people diagnosed with MDD may go on to experience difficult-to-treat depression, highlighting how common it is for standard medications alone to fall short.¹
How Spravato® Works for Depression
Spravato® is an FDA-approved esketamine nasal spray used to treat adults with difficult-to-treat depression. It contains esketamine and works differently from traditional antidepressants by rapidly increasing the brain’s ability to process glutamate, connected to mood regulation, energy, and overall brain function. Because of this, Spravato® treatment can offer some people relief quickly when other options have not helped them.
Research published in the American Journal of Psychiatry found that when intranasal esketamine was used alongside standard depression care, participants experienced significantly faster improvement in depression symptoms compared to a placebo.¹ In this study, symptom reduction was observed as early as four hours after the first dose, with continued improvement noted at 24 hours in some individuals, including reductions in certain measures of suicidal thoughts.¹
If you are feeling suicidal or experiencing a mental health crisis, please reach out for immediate support by contacting your local emergency services, visiting your local emergency room, or calling/texting the National Crisis Hotline at 988.
Integrating Spravato into an Individualized Treatment Plan
Treatments like Spravato® may help reduce symptoms when used as part of a carefully monitored, individualized care plan. Mental health care professionals may combine Spravato® with oral antidepressants, ongoing therapy sessions, and other lifestyle and wellness supports. This combination allows care teams to tailor treatment plans based on each person’s needs, history, and response to treatment.
An individualized depression treatment plan may include:
- Medication support: Spravato® is often used alongside oral antidepressants, with each boosting the efficacy of the other.
- Therapy: Therapy sessions help people process emotions, build coping skills, and maintain progress.
- Regular follow-up visits: Ongoing check-ins allow providers to adjust care as needed, whether that’s medication, dosage, or frequency of therapy sessions.
This combination approach allows Spravato® to provide relief while therapy and other supports can address the underlying patterns connected to depression.
The Role of Therapy in Enhancing Spravato® Treatment Outcomes
Therapy plays an important role in supporting Spravato® treatment. While Spravato® may help reduce depression symptoms through changing brain chemistry, therapy helps people understand their experiences and build tools for coping with day-to-day challenges. In tandem, these approaches support lasting improvements in mental health.
Regular therapy sessions help people with depression:
- Strengthen emotional awareness and coping skills
- Manage stress and mood changes
- Stay engaged with treatment goals over time
How Spravato® Enhances Therapy Sessions
Spravato® changes brain chemistry and encourages the development of new neural pathways, helping people become more flexible to change. Many clients note that, once they start Spravato® treatment, their therapy sessions become more meaningful and full of new insights. They are also more able to employ their learned coping strategies due to these brain changes.
Other Lifestyle Changes to Support Depression Treatment
While professional treatment is the number one way to combat depression, your care team might also suggest some other ways to support yourself.
Other lifestyle changes that can aid in depression recovery can include:
- Getting regular physical activity, even if it’s just short walks around the neighborhood
- Making small changes to your diet to add in more vegetables, protein, and other important nutrients that support brain health
- Maintaining a regular sleep schedule
- Incorporating mindfulness practices like yoga, meditation, or tai chi
- Boosting your social supports, as depression can often make people isolate away from loved ones
Get Comprehensive Depression Treatment at New Directions Mental Health
Spravato® fits into a larger treatment plan that often includes therapy, medication support, and ongoing care. This is where New Directions Mental Health comes in: With many of our clinics across Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania offering Spravato® treatment, we take a holistic approach, and our care team always collaborates to ensure each client gets the most comprehensive treatment possible.
If you or a loved one is exploring treatment options, call 724.374.7414 or schedule your first appointment today.
Sources:
- The American Journal of Psychiatry. “Efficacy and Safety of Intranasal Esketamine for the Rapid Reduction of Symptoms of Depression and Suicidality in Patients at Imminent Risk for Suicide: Results of a Double-Blind, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Study.”
