Introduction: Depression and anxiety are the most frequently observed mental disorders in primary health care clinics. Depression is a disease in which the balance in the functioning of certain chemical messengers in the part of the brain that takes care of mood is disturbed. It can affect anyone. An anxiety disorder interferes with the individual's daily activities and cannot be controlled. Ketamine is classified as an opioid, so its use poses some threats. It has been used in medicine and veterinary medicine for more than half a century as a means for a quick and sustained state of deep anesthesia. Ketamine has a complex and not entirely clear mechanism of action. Purpose: We wanted to find out why ketamine is used to treat anxiety and depression, how effects patients with these mental disorder, what are its advantages, disadvantages and negative effects. We were interested in nursing activities during the treatment of patients with depression and anxiety, how healthcare professionals handle ketamine and what they pay attention to when applying it. Work methods: We used a descriptive work method with a review of the scientific literature, which we searched with remote access to the digital library, in international databases such as PubMed, WHO, Cochrane Library and Medline. Key phrases were nursing interventions, depression, anxiety, mental health, ketamine, and nurses. The literature was in Slovenian and English, time-limited to the age of twenty. Freely available original and review full-text scientific articles were analyzed. Results: Ketamine works significantly faster than other antidepressants, within a few hours. Even one small dose has very favorable and long-lasting effects in the treatment of a serious form of depressive disorder. Studies have shown that ketamine rapidly relieves anxiety and suicidal ideation. Discussion and conclusion: Treatment with ketamine is not affordable, so it is not yet used for treating depressive and anxiety disorders in Slovenia. Ketamine continues to attract interest as a possible treatment for depression. Ketamine therapy is widely used abroad. Research on the benefits of ketamine for treating depression remains relatively new. The role of nurses is crucial, as they oversee the comprehensive care of patients with depression and anxiety, provide emotional support, receive continuous education, and provide safe and effective assistance and medication. Experts emphasize the need to continued research.
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