Pilot Study of Ketamine in Adults With Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a common psychiatric illness that affects up to 2-3%
of the population. People with OCD experience anxiety-provoking, intrusive thoughts, known
as obsessions, and feel compelled to perform repetitive behaviors, or compulsions. The only
medications proven effective for OCD are serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SRIs), but even with
SRI treatment, most patients continue to experience significant OCD symptoms, impaired
functioning, and diminished quality of life. Recent evidence suggest that a different
neurotransmitter, glutamate, may contribute to the symptoms in OCD. Medications that target
glutamate hold promise for ameliorating symptoms for those patients continuing to suffer
from OCD. In this study the investigators are recruiting patients to receive the drug
ketamine, which is thought to modulate the neurotransmitter glutamate through the
N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA), in a 2-week placebo controlled study.

Inclusion Criteria:

- Age 18-55

- Physically healthy and not currently pregnant

- Primary Diagnosis of OCD

- Sufficient severity of symptoms

- Able to provide consent

Exclusion Criteria:

- Psychiatric conditions that make participation unsafe

- Currently on psychotropic medication

- Medical conditions that make participation unsafe

- Allergy to ketamine

- Any metal in the body