Nearly three-quarters of UK women do not realise menopause can trigger a new mental illness, new research has revealed.
The findings have prompted what is described as the first targeted position statement on menopause and mental health from a major UK medical body.
A YouGov poll found only 28 per cent of women know a new mental illness can be linked to menopause, while 93 per cent associate it with hot flushes and 76 per cent with reduced sex drive.
The Royal College of Psychiatrists, which commissioned the poll and represents more than 20,000 psychiatrists, said the lack of awareness means many women may not seek help or receive appropriate care.
Dr Lade Smith, president of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, said: “Menopause can have a significant yet often overlooked impact on women’s mental health and wellbeing.
“Women account for 51 per cent 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 states that while anxiety and low mood are common during menopause because of hormonal changes, some women face a higher risk of more serious mental illness during perimenopause.
Women in this phase are more than twice as likely to develop bipolar disorder, a condition involving extreme shifts between elevated and depressed moods, and are 30 per cent more likely to develop clinical depression.
Hormonal and physical changes may also trigger eating disorders or cause a relapse, and suicide rates are higher among women of menopausal age.
Dr Cath Durkin, joint presidential lead for women and mental health at the Royal College of Psychiatrists, said: “For women with or at risk of bipolar disorder, perimenopause may represent a period of particular clinical danger that has historically gone unrecognised.”
The report also noted that women with bipolar disorder who experienced postnatal depression or premenstrual mood symptoms were at higher risk of relapse of depression during menopause.
The report calls for health services and governments across all UK nations to improve care, introduce mandatory teaching on menopause and mental health in medical and psychiatric training, and ensure workplace menopause policies address its relationship with mental health.
It comes as a study from University College London published in the Post Reproductive Health journal found that 58 per cent of black women in the UK said they felt completely uninformed about menopause, with many describing the experience as “psychologically damaging”.
More than half, 53 per cent, reported anxiety, yet many said they were misdiagnosed with anxiety or depression rather than menopause when speaking to their GP. #
As a result, only 23 per cent took hormone replacement therapy, or HRT, a treatment that uses hormones to ease menopausal symptoms.
Janet Lindsay, chief executive of Wellbeing of Women, said: “For too long, women’s symptoms have been dismissed or misunderstood.
“We fully support the call for better awareness, joined-up care, better workplace support and policies, and more research that will help ensure women are listened to and supported through menopause.”
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “It’s unacceptable women are facing barriers to the care and support they need.
“We’re taking action, bringing a menopause question into NHS health checks, renewing the women’s health strategy, and investing an extra £688m in mental health services while recruiting 8,500 more mental health workers.
“Women now have access to a wider range of treatments alongside improved training for new doctors to help ensure faster diagnosis and support.”
