UConn Health Minute: Treating Severe Depression

It’s estimated that 30% of people with severe depression and suicidal thoughts are diagnosed with treatment-resistant depression. As Dr. Caleb Battersby, director of Interventional Psychiatry at UConn Health explains, esketamine nasal spray works differently than oral antidepressants and typically brings relief within hours or days of receiving the medication.

Kathleen Depaolis, RN, explaining the use of the esketamine nasal spray. Patients are monitored for two hours after receiving the psychoactive medication in an outpatient clinic at UConn Health. (Ethan Giorgetti/UConn Health)

It’s estimated that 30% of people with severe depression and suicidal thoughts are diagnosed with treatment-resistant depression. As Dr. Caleb Battersby, director of Interventional Psychiatry at UConn Health explains, esketamine nasal spray works differently than oral antidepressants and typically brings relief within hours or days of receiving the medication.