You are touching on some legitimate reasons for skepticism, however I think it's a bit more complicated than you are suggesting. Clinically, the response to alc

You are touching on some legitimate reasons for skepticism, however I think it's a bit more complicated than you are suggesting. Clinically, the response to alcohol, benzos, and heroin on mood is reported less as improvement than making the symptoms easier to ignore. I'd be surprised to see those agents prompt this kind of change on the MADRS. Plus alcohol and benzos act primarily through GABA, and heroin via mu opioid receptors, so the mechanisms are not totally comparable. The long-term effect of ketamine is not yet understood, but establishing safety and effectiveness in these very small trials is the first step.