Researches studied 33 out of 80 TRD patients who agreed to adopt a pet as a means of animal therapy. The treatment method proved to be successful, as the patients who chose to adopt a pet reported an improvement in depressive symptoms and had better remission and response rates than individuals in the control group.

Claremont McKenna College

Treatment resistant depression is generally acknowledged as depression which has not responded to a minimum of two different antidepressant medications. It is fairly common, with 60-75% of depressed patients meeting this criteria with a high severity and duration and increased exhibition of physical and mental symptoms that lead to higher dysfunction.

Treatment Resistant Depression

1. Kowal, M., Conroy, E., Ramsbottom, N., Smithies, T., Toth, A., & Campbell, M. (2020). Gaming your mental health: A narrative review on mitigating symptoms of depression and anxiety using commercial video games (preprint). JMIR Serious Games. https://doi.org/10.2196/preprints.26575

2. Eielsen, M., Ulvenes, P. G., Røssberg, J. I., Høstmælingen, A., Soma, C. S., & Wampold, B. E. (2022). The Effectiveness of an Intensive Inpatient Psychotherapy Program for Chronic Depression: A naturalistic comparison with wait list. BMC psychiatry, 22(1), 745. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-022-04381-5

3. Do, M. T., Nguyen, T. T., & Tran, H. T. (2023). Twelve-month trajectories of depression after group-based psychotherapy led by nonspecialists at Primary Health Centers: A case study from Vietnam. Journal of Behavioral and Cognitive Therapy, 33(3), 169–178. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbct.2023.09.002

4. Joshi, A. C., Ghogare, A. S., & Madavi, P. B. (2025). Systematic review of artificial intelligence enabled psychological interventions for depression and anxiety: A comprehensive analysis. Industrial psychiatry journal, 34(2), 158–166. https://doi.org/10.4103/ipj.ipj_363_24

5. Shevchuk, N. A. (2008). Adapted cold shower as a potential treatment for depression. Medical Hypotheses, 70(5), 995–1001. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mehy.2007.04.052

6. Ma, H., Cai, M., & Wang, H. (2021). Emotional Blunting in Patients With Major Depressive Disorder: A Brief Non-systematic Review of Current Research. Frontiers in psychiatry, 12, 792960. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2021.792960

7. Sohal, M., Singh, P., Dhillon, B. S., & Gill, H. S. (2022). Efficacy of journaling in the management of mental illness: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Family medicine and community health, 10(1), e001154. https://doi.org/10.1136/fmch-2021-001154

8. Mota Pereira, J., & Fonte, D. (2018). Pets enhance antidepressant pharmacotherapy effects in patients with treatment resistant major depressive disorder. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 104, 108–113. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychires.2018.07.004 

References for Depression Treatment Methods

Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) can help patients with treatment resistant depression minimize depression relapse and current symptoms by reducing depressive rumination and increasing self-compassion and mindfulness.

Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy and Treatment-Resistant Depression

Ketamine, a rapid-acting anesthetic and NMDA receptor antagonist, has been investigated for use in treatment-resistant  depression. When infused in sub-anesthetic doses over a short period (e.g. 40 minutes), ketamine has been shown to have rapid antidepressant effects that can last for up to 4 weeks in some patients.

Using ketamine for treatment-resistant depression

A research study found that out of 129 patients with treatment resistant depression, 82.9% had another mental disorder, 82.2% were diagnosed with a personality disorder, and 69.8% had severe physical health ailments. In addition, 44.9% attempted suicide at least once in their lives, 79.8% experienced significant childhood trauma, and a vast majority reported a poor quality of life. These results show that TRD is a complex form of depression that requires further research. 

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