Pink Walls: Depression, Ketamine, and Chronicity
Susan Merrill Squier
WSQ: Women's Studies Quarterly March 1, 2026 DOI: 10.1353/wsq.2026.a989469 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Narrative essay Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Intervention | Ketamine infusion treatments |
| Topics | Depression Esketamine Ketamine |
| Key points | Argues that the author's hysterectomy/oophorectomy constituted iatrogenic harm and exemplifies chronic inequities in gynecological medicine based on gender, race, and region. |
Abstract
Abstract: After an episode of painful ovarian torsion, I accepted a surgeon's counsel to undergo a hysterectomy/oophorectomy at the age of forty-six. The sudden menopause this surgery brought on intensified a chronic depression. Several decades later, after undergoing ketamine infusion treatments for my depression, I recognized that surgery as an experience of iatrogenic harm, part of the chronic inequities of treatment based on gender, race, and region that are part of the history of gynecological medicine.
Comparable studies
Other theoretical and historical papers on ketamine for depression, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| An Integrative Approach to Ketamine Therapy May Enhance Multiple Dimensions of Efficacy: Improving Therapeutic Outcomes With Treatment Resistant Depression. | 2021 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Arketamine for cognitive impairment in psychiatric disorders | 2023 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| The Montreal model: an integrative biomedical-psychedelic approach to ketamine for severe treatment-resistant depression | 2023 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Ketamine in Bipolar Disorder: A Review | 2020 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Rethinking the role of TRKB in the action of antidepressants and psychedelics. | 2024 | Theoretical or philosophical paper |