The Problem Of Menopause And Depression
Women are twice as likely to be affected by depression
as men, and menopause and depression have often been linked. Midlife is
often considered a significant period of increased depression for women
due to a combination of factors. It may be related, in some cases, to
having a family history of depression, a combination of life stressors,
or a sense of stress over role changes having reached the middle of
one’s life. Menopause and depression are not traditionally medically
linked; that is to say that they are not significantly related nor is
depression said to be a symptom of menopause. There are indications,
however, that those factors should be revaluated.
Still, menopause is often said to be a time at which women are more
likely to be depressed than at any other stage of life including
adolescence. There is no complete set of data as to the direct cause of
this problem, so there are only possibilities to consider when
discussing menopause and depression on the clinical level. Studies show
that bouts of depression are most commonly linked to periods of
transition in a woman’s life. The period before menopause is often
considered to be ripe with depression as well, possibly because it is
comprehendible to observe that life is changing and so on.
Possibilities And Theories
The periods mentioned above are also often associated with a variance in
the estrogen levels. This could, possibly, affect the levels of brain
chemical and alter them to one side or the other which could create a
greater intolerance to the life events that coincide with the chemical
changes. This, in turn, could be closely related to the cause of
menopause and depression as linked. This close association, in other
words, could be closely related to the chemical imbalance that is
already taking place in the body on a completely different level. This
is one theory about the connection.
Doctors suggest that the most important thing you can do if you are
experience menopause and depression is to seek some form of help. There
are a lot of options that a physician can suggest from there, including
forms of medication that can affect the mood and the chemicals in your
brain that change your mood. The first step in any possible mood
disorder and the treatment of it is to seek help from a professional
source. From this point, the healing can begin on a greater level.
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