Being a woman is a complicated thing—both physically and mentally. There are several times in a woman's life when the physical impacts the mental, when hormones seem to rule:

• Adolescence
• Pregnancy and childbirth
• Menopause

Mental health

There is no lack of jokes about women and PMS and "that time of the month" and menopause. But it is no laughing matter if you're the one going through it.

While the mysteries of the mind are many, research by the UI Department of Psychiatry, part of the multidisciplinary UI Neurosciences services, is helping understand and treat depression and hormonal changes in women.

"During the past 10 years, a great deal of research has been conducted on mental disorders among women, and The University of Iowa has been among the leaders in this research effort," says Robert G. Robinson, MD, UI Hospitals and Clinics psychiatrist.

"Treatments have also been developed for postpartum depression as well as depression during adolescence and menopause. Women who suffer from these and other mental disorders can be effectively treated by psychiatrists and other mental health workers."

Some depression signals

• Feeling sad
• Feeling worthless
• Crying
• Eating and sleeping too much or too little
• Trouble focusing or making decisions
• Loss of interest in activities
• Withdrawal from family and friends
• Feeling anxious or restless
• Having thoughts about death or suicide

For more information about mental health, call

UI Health Access
319-384-8442, ext. 1006
or
800-777-8442, ext. 1006

Adolescence

Adolescence, usually between ages 13 and 19, is a time of physical growth and emotional, psychological, and mental change. A teen's body grows faster than any time since infancy.

Young girls begin the journey to womanhood as the hormone estrogen kicks into gear resulting in the development of primary (ovaries, uterus, and beginning of menstruation) and secondary (body hair, breasts) sex characteristics.

A teen's brain doesn't develop completely until late in adolescence. Studies suggest that the connections between neurons affecting emotional, physical, and mental abilities are incomplete and could explain why some teens seem to be inconsistent in controlling their emotions, impulses, and judgments.

Mental health disorders such as depression and schizophrenia often become apparent during adolescence. Eating disorders, such as anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa, also are common. The mood swings associated with teenagers used to be considered "normal," but irritability, moodiness, sleep, and appetite change may actually signal depression.

Pregnancy and childbirth

Pregnancy and the time following your baby's birth can be unpredictable, and it's not unusual for some women to experience depression. The cause of the depression may be hormonal or a matter of family history. Sometimes there is no clear cause.

Many women experience mood swings after childbirth—happy one minute and crying the next. These "baby blues" symptoms generally last anywhere from several days to two weeks and usually don't require medical attention. If symptoms continue, you may suffer from postpartum depression, which affects 10 to 15 percent of women and requires treatment by a physician.

If you have symptoms of depression that last longer than two weeks, contact your physician.

"Depression during pregnancy and during the postpartum period can be treated with counseling, medication, and a combination of the two. The key is screening women for depression, both during pregnancy and after, and making them aware that effective treatments are available," says Scott Stuart, MD, UI Hospitals and Clinics psychiatrist.

Menopause

Menopause is the other end of the spectrum from adolescence—the end rather than the beginning of a woman's ability to have children. It marks the decline of estrogen production by the ovaries. The picture of menopausal women shifting from raging, angry moods into depressive, doleful slumps for no apparent reason is outdated.

For many women it is a time of new-found freedom. Many women in their late 40s and early 50s say their health is better, sex is more enjoyable because the fear of pregnancy is gone, and they have more choices in everything from work to leisure pursuits.

Department of Psychiatry