Anneliese

I am really excited that this educational course is now live. For the last 18 months, I have been working closely with two other menopause specialists and a psychiatrist to develop this learning module for The Royal College of Psychiatrists @rcpsych about mental health and menopause. The psychological symptoms that some women experience as part of their menopause are often the most debilitating, yet it’s not uncommon for hormones to be overlooked when it comes to treatment which can lead many women to be misdiagnosed. The incidence of clinical depression, bipolar, schizophrenia, psychosis and addictions increase during the perimenopause and menopause. Our sex hormones oestradiol, progesterone and testosterone are important neurotransmitters and are known to have numerous beneficial effects in our brains. Many women are still being offered or prescribed antidepressants rather than HRT for their low mood associated with their perimenopause or menopause, despite HRT being first line treatment for the majority of women. Also, antidepressants actually work better in women who have oestradiol in their bodies – either because they are having regular periods and producing their own oestradiol or because they are taking HRT. Some medications such as quetiapine can actually lower FSH levels leading to an early menopause which is often undetected. It is essential that clinicians working in mental health teams also consider hormones otherwise they would potentially be missing a whole part of the puzzle, and then women will be denied HRT without good reason. I really hope that the psychiatrists and other healthcare professionals who take this new learning module find it helpful, and that it leads to more women receiving holistic treatment for their mental health conditions. People do not have to be college members to do this course and it is also free. You can access it here: elearninghub.rcpsych.ac.uk/p…