Lou

This is such an important paper! It’s written by Dr Clair Crockett who works with me at Newson Health and consultant psychiatrist Dr Sophie Behrman looking into mental illness and perimenopause. I speak to so many perimenopausal and menopausal women who are presenting with mental health symptoms but are offered antidepressants first line with no discussion of female hormones. While some women need antidepressants and other psychiatric medications, it is also often worth considering hormones as part of the holistic treatment especially as research has shown that anti-depressants will not be effective in reducing the low mood associated with perimenopause and menopause. Our hormones oestradiol, testosterone and progesterone all work as neurotransmitters in our brains and can increase levels of serotonin in our brains. This paper is a really great overview of hormones and mental health and suggests that treating the perimenopause and mental illness in parallel is likely to lead to speedier recovery and better long-term outcomes, which is something we see all the time with patients at my clinic. Well done Clair and Sophie 👏 Read the full paper here: cambridge.org/core/services/…