I hope it helps you - but are there any studies on how it works and why? What’s the mechanism of “disassociation” resulting in “getting better”?

The honest answer is that we don't know.

Experimentally, it works. There are theories (google will give you a couple vaguely plausible mechanisms), but it's too early to say. And it's likely that the antidepressive effect of ketamine has nothing to do with its NMDA antagonism, given that other NMDA receptor antagonists do not work as antidepressives.

Neuroscience theory lags far behind applied psychiatry, so all know is people whose depression resists normal treatment now have another very promising option, with a very different mechanism from normal antidepression treatment.

Thank you, this is what I was looking for.

Dissociatives are the most under-appreciated class of drugs.

Mechanisms of action are difficult to be objective about. It is a lot more complicated than dopamine and serotonin regulation and uptake, receptors and antagonists.

Today was pleasant, despite every reason not to be. It's like the "hope" qualia.

Thank you, this is what I was looking for. So - on biochemistry level we don’t know why it works. But somehow, controlled temporary disassociation seems to… interrupt negative ideation?

Also TIL “qualia” - what a wonderful word.

Yes. Depression originates from the ego. Vitamin K suppresses the ego.