Dr. Jeff's and Dr. Tanya's Blog

The factsheet on women and mental health

Mental illnesses affect women and men differently — some disorders are more common in women, and some express themselves with different symptoms. Scientists are only now beginning to tease apart the contributions of various biological and psychosocial factors to mental health and mental illness in both women and men. In addition, researchers are currently studying the special problems of treatment for serious mental illness during pregnancy and the postpartum period.

The mental disorders affecting women include the following:

• Anxiety Disorders, including OCD, panic, PTSD, social phobia, and generalized anxiety disorders.
• Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD, ADD)
• Bipolar Disorder
• Borderline Personality Disorder
• Depression
• Eating Disorders
• Schizophrenia

Related Information

• Information about medications
• Women's Health Information and Organizations from NLM's MedlinePlus (en Español)
• Some mental illnesses also carry an increased risk for suicide.
• Women’s Programs
  Kathleen M. O'Leary, M.S.W., Deputy Chief, e-mail: olearyk@mail.nih.gov
• Surgeon General's Workshop on Women’s Mental Health

Additional Resources:

• For related articles on women and mental health on the Web, click on: “Sphere: Related Content” located at the bottom of this blog post.
• For related books or blog posts with related content in Dr. Jeff’s and Dr. Tanya’s Blog, type in the keyword “women and mental health” into “Google Search” located in the sidebar.
• For related articles from Psychology Today, click on the “Psychology Today” banner in the side bar and type in the keyword, “women and mental health” into the Psychology Today “Search”.
• For more books with related content, click any hyperlinked keyword in the blog or type in the keyword, “women and mental health" into “Amazon Search” on the Amazon banner located in the side bar.

Sources: National Institute of Mental Health, See blogposts in: Psychiatry: Women

Dr. Jeffrey Speller

Dr. Tanya Korkosz

Psychopharmacology Associates of New England

www.psychopharmassociates.com

Does exercise protect against depression in pregnancy?

Mental health professionals have long debated the relationship between depression and exercise during pregnancy. An article in Medical News Today (8/4/08), examines this issue. The article reports on a recent study published in the Annals of Behavioral Medicine. The researchers surveyed 230 women during pregnancy and postpartum, inquiring about exercise routines and symptoms of depression. The results were interesting. “Women who reported more depressive symptoms during the first trimester tended to engage in less exercise behavior in early pregnancy. In addition, women who exercised more prior to their pregnancy had greater body satisfaction during the second and third trimesters and less depressive symptoms in the second trimester, which suggests that avid pre-pregnancy exercise might protect women from negative depressive symptoms and body dissatisfaction during mid-to-late pregnancy.” The researchers noted that “The American College of Sports Medicine recommends that healthy pregnant women without obstetric complications engage in 30 minutes of moderate exercise most, if not all, days of the week.” The results of this study suggest that regular pre-pregnancy exercise may help protect against depression during pregnancy, and that first trimester depression is associated with low levels of exercise.

The Bottom Line: The results of this study suggest that exercise is associated with lower levels of depression during pregnancy.

Reference: Article URL

Ten Great Books on Depression

1. Anxiety & Depression Workbook For Dummies (For Dummies (Psychology & Self Help)) (Paperback) by Charles H., PhD Elliott (Author), Laura L., PhD Smith (Author), Aaron T., MD Beck (Author)
2. Depression for Dummies (Paperback) by Laura L., PhD Smith (Author), Charles H., PhD Elliott (Author)
3. Overcoming Depression One Step at a Time: The New Behavioral Activation Approach to Getting Your Life Back (New Harbinger Self-Help Workbook) (Paperback) by Michael E., Ph.D. Addis (Author), Christopher R. Martell (Author)
4. Overcoming Depression: A Step-by-Step Approach to Gaining Control Over Depression (Paperback) by Paul Gilbert(Author)
5. Overcoming Depression, 3rd edition by Demitri Papolos (Paperback - Jan 10, 1997)
6. Overcoming Depression (Victory Over the Darkness) by Neil T. Anderson and Joanne Anderson (Paperback - Jul 2004)
7. Woman's Guide to Overcoming Depression, A by Archibald Hart and Catherine Hart Weber (Mass Market Paperback - Nov 1, 2007)
8. Overcoming Anxiety and Depression: Practical Tools to Help You Deal with Negative Emotions by Bob Phillips (Paperback - Aug 15, 2007)
9. Overcoming Depression (Overcoming) by Paul Gilbert (Paperback - May 25, 2000)
10. Overcoming Anxiety, Panic, and Depression: New Ways to Regain your Confidence by James Gardner, Arthur H. Bell (Paperback - Feb 1, 2005)

Twelve Resource and Support Groups for Depression

1. Broken Smiles 
2. Journey Towards Freedom
3. Depression Forums
4. Depression Boards  
5. Depression Resources
6. Depression Understood  
7. Depressionsupport1  
8. Yahoo Depression Support Groups
9. The Depression Support Group
10. Depression and Bipolar Support
11. Alliance
12. Families for Depression Awareness

Additional Resources:

• For related articles on depression on the Web, click on: “Sphere: Related Content” located at the bottom of this blog post.
• For related books or blog posts with related content in Dr. Jeff’s and Dr. Tanya’s Blog, go to “Psychiatric Disorders: Depression” or type in the keyword “depression” into “Google Search” located in the sidebar.
• For related articles from Psychology Today, click on the “Psychology Today” banner in the side bar and type in the keyword, “depression” into the Psychology Today “Search”.
• For more books with related content, click any hyperlinked keyword in the blog or type in the keyword, “depression” into “Amazon Search” on the Amazon banner located in the side bar.

Sources: See blogposts in Psychiatric Disorders: Depression

Dr. Tanay Korkosz

Dr. Jeffrey Speller

Psychopharmacology Associates of New England

www.psychopharmassociates.com

Do happily married women sleep better?

Mental health professionals have long wondered about the positive effects of stable marriages on women’s health. A recent article in Clinical Psychiatric News (8/08) examines this issue. The article reports on a study that surveyed 1,938 married women and 997 unmarried women. The results of the study were interesting. “Overall, most of the married women (83%) were categorized as “happily married” in their current marriages, based on single-item scores in the 4-7 range on the 7-point Likert scale…Overall, 45% of the unhappily married women and 40% of the unmarried women met the insomnia criteria, compared with 30% of the happily married women. The unhappily married and unmarried women were significantly more likely to report three or more insomnia symptoms, compared with the happily married women.” This study supports that idea that happily married women sleep better.

The Bottom Line: The results of this study support the idea that happily married women sleep better.

Reference: Original Article

Dr. Jeffrey Speller

Dr. Tanya Korkosz

Psychopharmacology Associates of New England

www.psychopharmassociates.com

Does pregnancy cause psychiatric illness?

Mental health professionals have long wondered whether pregnancy increases the risk of psychiatric disorders. A recent article published in Clinical Psychiatric News (8/08) examines this issue. The article reports on a study published in the Archives of General Psychiatry which surveyed “…15,000 women of childbearing age, of whom 453 were pregnant at the time of the survey, 994 were postpartum, and 13,025 were neither (‘nonpregnant’).” And the results? “The 1-year prevalence of psychiatric disorders ranged from 0.4% (psychotic disorders) to 14.6% (substance use disorders) in pregnant and postpartum subjects, compared with 0.3%-19.9% for the same diagnoses in nonpregnant women…” The researchers conclude: “Pregnancy does not raise the risk of developing any of the most prevalent mental disorders, with the notable exception of postpartum depression…” The results of this study support the idea that pregnancy does not increase the risk of psychiatric disorders, with the exception of postpartum depression.

The Bottom Line: The results of this study support the idea that pregnancy does not increase the risk of psychiatric disorders, with the exception of postpartum depression.

Reference: Original Article

Dr. Jeffrey Speller

Dr. Tanya Korkosz

Psychopharmacology Associates of New England

www.psychopharmassociates.com

Can estrogen benefit women with schizophrenia?

Women who carry the diagnosis of schizophrenia are often interested in new ways to treat their psychosis. An article in ScienceDaily (8/5/08) titled, “Estrogen Relieves Psychotic Symptoms In Women With Schizophrenia,” reported on an Archives of General Psychiatry study that examines this issue. The researchers studied 102 women with the diagnosis of schizophrenia, who were randomly assigned to receive a 28-day course of either estrogen or placebo therapy (in addition to their regular antipsychotic medications).  The women’s psychotic symptoms (delusions and hallucinations) were assessed weekly during the treatment period.  The results were impressive and encouraging. “The group of women taking estradiol exhibited a greater improvement in psychotic symptoms over time than did the women taking antipsychotic medications alone. They also experienced a decline in positive symptoms—those which represent a distortion of normal functions.” The authors note that it is not clear exactly how estrogen helps the psychosis of these women. “Estrogen's neuroprotective and psychoprotective actions may be mediated by a variety of routes, ranging from rapid actions, including antioxidant effects and enhancement of cerebral blood flow and cerebral glucose utilization, to slower, genomic mechanisms, which may include permanent modification of neural circuits," The results of this study suggest that a subgroup of women with schizophrenia may benefit from this treatment approach.

The Bottom Line: This study suggests that estrogen therapy may be a helpful adjunct to traditional antipsychotic medications in women with schizophrenia, providing additional relief from psychotic symptoms.

Reference: Original article

Suggested Reading:

1. Beautiful Minds: Living With Schizophrenia (Paperback by Abram Hoffer (Author)
2. Living with Schizophrenia [IMPORT] (Paperback) by Neel Burton (Author), Phil Davison (Author)

Additional Resources:

• For related articles on schizophrenia on the Web, click on: “Sphere: Related Content” located at the bottom of this blog post.
• For related books or blog posts with related content in Dr. Jeff’s and Dr. Tanya’s Blog, go to “Psychiatric Disorders: Schizophrenia” or type in the keyword “schizophrenia” into “Google Search” located in the sidebar. .
• For related articles from Psychology Today, click on the “Psychology Today” banner in the side bar and type in the keyword, “schizophrenia” into the Psychology Today “Search”.
• For more books with related content, click any hyperlinked keyword in the blog or type in the keyword, “schizophrenia” into “Amazon Search” on the Amazon banner located in the side bar.

Schizophrenia Support Groups:

http://www.nascos.org/Home/

http://ourbeautifulminds.com/

http://groups.yahoo.com/search?query=schizophrenia

Dr. Jeffrey Speller

Dr. Tanya Korkosz

Psychopharmacology Associates of New England

www.psychopharmassociates.com