There is no increase in severe psychiatric illness in women during or after menopause. Indeed, depression is lessnot morecommon among middle-aged women.
Some psychological symptoms, however, do tend to occur around menopause. Emotional problems may arise in the period just preceding menopause, and decline one to two years into the postmenopausal period. It is unlikely that these symptoms are indeed related to changing hormonal levels. Fatigue, nervousness, headaches, insomnia, depression, irritability, joint and muscle pain, dizziness, and heart palpitations are among the symptoms women frequently report to their doctors.
Some emotional disturbances can be associated with the sleep deprivation that occurs as a result of hot flashes. Changing sexual patterns due to untreated vaginal atrophy can also be psychologically distressing for some women. Other changes at this point in life, such as children leaving home, career disappointments, or fear of aging, can also induce bouts of emotional turmoil.
The value of estrogen therapy for psychological complaints is not established, but a woman's outlook can often be improved simply by relief from hot flashes, insomnia, and vaginal atrophy.
Coping with Emotional Changes
Anticipating the physical and emotional changes likely to occur during menopause can help you get through this time with a minimum of friction and despair. Many women find that simply identifying the fact that they are in a bad mood or feeling irritable helps them and those around them adjust to a temporarily difficult situation. It also helps to distinguish trivial annoyances that get blown out of proportion because of moodiness from the real sources of anger and frustration. Some women call a "time out" when they are feeling out of sorts and delay any discussion of serious issues for another time. A chance to discuss emotional and physical symptoms with other women also undergoing menopause can provide support and comfort. Reading books and magazine articles about other women's menopausal reactions can also help.
After menopause, many women report what anthropologist Margaret Mead identified as "postmenopausal zest." This sense of well-being, hard-won individuality, and positive attitude toward life propels women into an especially rewarding period of their lives. So it can be comforting for women undergoing unpredictable mood swings to realize that there's something to look forward to a little further down the road.
