[Ketamine in melancholic depression].

A 35-year-old male known with bipolar disorder was admitted after a suicide attempt with cuts in both wrists. The patient had a major depression with melancholic symptoms and nihilistic delusions. To relieve the patient's agony in the days before electroconvulsive therapy and to reduce the risk of suicide, the patient was treated with S-ketamine 0,5 mg/kg. The patient's symptoms were reduced two hours after treatment and the effect was measurable for five days.