# Ketamine Treatment of Youth Suicide Attempters for Fast Reduction of Severe Suicide Risk and Facilitation of Long-term Collaborative Clinical Engagement: A Randomized Placebo Controlled Trial

> **NIH NIH R01** · CLEVELAND CLINIC LERNER COM-CWRU · 2020 · $624,296

## Abstract

Ketamine Treatment of Youth Suicide Attempters for Fast Reduction of Severe Suicide Risk and
Facilitation of Long-term Collaborative Clinical Engagement: A Randomized Placebo Controlled Trial
Ketamine, an NMDA antagonist, has been shown to have rapid anti-suicidal effects. However, its safety and
efficacy in special populations has not been investigated and documented. In the last decade there is an
alarming increase of the number of suicide attempts in patients ages 15-24. Suicide is the second leading
cause of death in this population. Patients with previous history of suicide attempt, are even in a higher risk
category. The present study focus in this high risk group of suicide attempters. This will be a randomized
controlled trial enrolling 140 youth between the ages 15-24 after a suicide attempt; patients will be randomized
to receive Ketamine 0.5 mg/kg over 40 minutes or normal saline. Patients will receive their first ketamine
infusion in the hospital (while admitted to an inpatient psychiatry unit).Patients will receive up to 6 ketamine
infusions, or until for 3 consecutive sessions they report enduring decreased suicidal ideation. Patients will also
participate in weekly sessions of Collaborative Assessment for the Management of Suicidality (CAMS), from
the time they are admitted to the hospital and after their discharge until they are able to report no suicidal
ideation for at least 3 consecutive outpatient sessions of CAMS. It is our hypothesis that patients in the
Ketamine infusion+ CAMS group, will have a rapid improvement in the suicidality, be more engaged in the
participation of CAMS, and in a 3 month follow-up period will have less number of suicide attempts, less
number of admission to the ED secondary to suicidality compared to the Placebo+CAMS group. We expect
that the rapid decrease of suicidality achieved in the ketamine + CAMS group, will lead to a more collaboration
and engagement in their own ability to maintain their safety and be proactive in their treatment.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10115466
- **Project number:** 1R01MH125214-01
- **Recipient organization:** CLEVELAND CLINIC LERNER COM-CWRU
- **Principal Investigator:** Amit Anand
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $624,296
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-09-15 → 2024-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10115466

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10115466, Ketamine Treatment of Youth Suicide Attempters for Fast Reduction of Severe Suicide Risk and Facilitation of Long-term Collaborative Clinical Engagement: A Randomized Placebo Controlled Trial (1R01MH125214-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10115466. Licensed CC0.

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