Three in four women unaware menopause can trigger new mental illness, poll finds
📖 Full Retelling
<p>Royal College of Psychiatrists says impact on mental health often overlooked and calls for improvements in care</p><p>Nearly three-quarters of UK women do not know menopause can trigger a new mental illness, polling shows.</p><p>This lack of understanding is so acute that the Royal College of Psychiatrists has launched its first targeted “position statement” to raise awareness about <a href="https://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/improving-care/campaigning-for-better-menta
Entity Intersection Graph
No entity connections available yet for this article.
Original Source
Three in four women unaware menopause can trigger new mental illness, poll finds Royal College of Psychiatrists says impact on mental health often overlooked and calls for improvements in care Nearly three-quarters of UK women do not know menopause can trigger a new mental illness, polling shows. This lack of understanding is so acute that the Royal College of Psychiatrists has launched its first targeted “position statement” to raise awareness about menopause and mental health . A YouGov poll, commissioned by the college, which represents more than 20,000 psychiatrists, found that only 28% of women know a new mental illness can be associated with menopause. In contrast, 93% of women associate menopause with hot flushes and 76% with reduced sex drive. As a result, many women are not seeking or receiving vital help, the RCPsych’s report says. Dr Lade Smith, the president of the college, said: “Menopause can have a significant yet often overlooked impact on women’s mental health and wellbeing. Women account for 51% of the population and all will experience menopause at some point. This is a societal issue for everyone. Simply put, we must do better.” The report lays bare the mental health impact during perimenopause, and the numbers are striking. Anxiety and low mood are relatively common side-effects of hormonal changes during menopause, but for some women menopause significantly increases the chance of developing serious mental illness. Perimenopausal women are more than twice as likely to develop bipolar disorder and 30% more likely to develop clinical depression, while hormonal and physical changes associated with menopause may lead to the relapse or trigger the development of eating disorders . Suicide rates are also higher among women of menopausal age. Dr Cath Durkin, a joint presidential lead for women and mental health at the RCPsych, said: “For women with or at risk of bipolar disorder, perimenopause may represent a period of particular clinical danger that ...
Read full article at source