Nearly twice as many women (12 percent) as men (7
percent) are affected by a depressive illness each year.
At some point during their lives, as many as 20 percent
of women have at least one episode of depression that
should be treated. Although conventional wisdom holds
that depression is most closely associated with
menopause, in fact, the childbearing years are marked
by the highest rates of depression, followed by the
years prior to menopause. NIMH researchers are
investigating the causes and treatment of depressive
disorders in women. One area of research focuses on
life stress and depression. Data from a recent NIMH-
supported study suggests that stressful life experiences
may play a larger role in provoking recurrent episodes
of depression in women than in men. The influence of
hormones on depression in women has been an active
area of NIMH research. One recent study was the first
to demonstrate that the troublesome depressive mood
swings and physical symptoms of premenstrual
syndrome (PMS), a disorder affecting three to seven
percent of menstruating women, result from an
abnormal response to normal hormone changes during
the menstrual cycle. PMS Symptoms Among women
with normal menstrual cycles, those with a history of
PMS experienced relief from mood and physical
symptoms when their sex hormones, estrogen and
progesterone, were temporarily "turned off" by
administering a drug that suppresses the function of the
ovaries. PMS symptoms developed within a week or
two after the hormones were re-introduced. In contrast,
women without a history of PMS reported no effects of
the hormonal manipulation. The study showed that
female sex hormones do not cause PMS – rather, they
trigger PMS symptoms in women with a preexisting
vulnerability to the disorder. The researchers currently
are attempting to determine what makes some women
but not others susceptible to PMS. Possibilities include
genetic differences in hormone sensitivity at the
cellular level, differences in history of other mood
disorders, and individual differences in serotonin
function. NIMH researchers also are currently
investigating the mechanisms that contribute to
depression after childbirth (postpartum depression),
another serious disorder where abrupt hormonal shifts
in the context of intense psychosocial stress disable
some women with an apparent underlying vulnerability.
In addition, an ongoing NIMH clinical trial is
evaluating the use of antidepressant medication
following delivery to prevent postpartum depression in
women with a history of this disorder after a previous
childbirth.
percent) are affected by a depressive illness each year.
At some point during their lives, as many as 20 percent
of women have at least one episode of depression that
should be treated. Although conventional wisdom holds
that depression is most closely associated with
menopause, in fact, the childbearing years are marked
by the highest rates of depression, followed by the
years prior to menopause. NIMH researchers are
investigating the causes and treatment of depressive
disorders in women. One area of research focuses on
life stress and depression. Data from a recent NIMH-
supported study suggests that stressful life experiences
may play a larger role in provoking recurrent episodes
of depression in women than in men. The influence of
hormones on depression in women has been an active
area of NIMH research. One recent study was the first
to demonstrate that the troublesome depressive mood
swings and physical symptoms of premenstrual
syndrome (PMS), a disorder affecting three to seven
percent of menstruating women, result from an
abnormal response to normal hormone changes during
the menstrual cycle. PMS Symptoms Among women
with normal menstrual cycles, those with a history of
PMS experienced relief from mood and physical
symptoms when their sex hormones, estrogen and
progesterone, were temporarily "turned off" by
administering a drug that suppresses the function of the
ovaries. PMS symptoms developed within a week or
two after the hormones were re-introduced. In contrast,
women without a history of PMS reported no effects of
the hormonal manipulation. The study showed that
female sex hormones do not cause PMS – rather, they
trigger PMS symptoms in women with a preexisting
vulnerability to the disorder. The researchers currently
are attempting to determine what makes some women
but not others susceptible to PMS. Possibilities include
genetic differences in hormone sensitivity at the
cellular level, differences in history of other mood
disorders, and individual differences in serotonin
function. NIMH researchers also are currently
investigating the mechanisms that contribute to
depression after childbirth (postpartum depression),
another serious disorder where abrupt hormonal shifts
in the context of intense psychosocial stress disable
some women with an apparent underlying vulnerability.
In addition, an ongoing NIMH clinical trial is
evaluating the use of antidepressant medication
following delivery to prevent postpartum depression in
women with a history of this disorder after a previous
childbirth.
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