How to save a life: Esketamine as a potential rapid pharmacological suicide intervention

Abstract

Suicide prevention and intervention efforts have been launched with hopeful results; however, research rarely focuses on pharmacological treatment for the acutely suicidal patient. Correlation between mental health diagnosis and suicide drives recommendations to tailor treatment to the mental health diagnosis rather than the acute life-threatening symptom. This article proposes treatment for the acutely suicidal patient should be intentionally directed at the suicidal ideation instead of the mental health diagnosis. Esketamine has been approved by the FDA, and randomized controlled trials show some evidence that this treatment is worth continued study as a method to rapidly reduce suicidal thoughts in at-risk patients.