“Is it menopause or bipolar?”: a qualitative study of the experience of menopause for women with bipolar disorder

Perich, Tania; Ussher, Jane M.; Parton, Chloe

doi:10.1186/s12905-017-0467-y

Cited by 13 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 58 publications

(71 reference statements)

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“…There was no significant association between hot flash severity and sleep disturbance and mania symptom scores. This result partially supports findings of prior qualitative research where some women reported that they experienced sleep disturbances as a result of hot flash symptoms and that this in turn had an impact on mood symptoms 21 . As only depression seemed to be associated with sleep and hot flash severity in the present study, further research is needed to examine whether menopause symptoms may have an impact on mania symptoms for women living with bipolar disorder.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

“…There is limited research examining the experience of hot flashes for women with a bipolar disorder, in particular the relationship between hot flashes and bipolar symptoms 6 . A recent qualitative study found that women with bipolar disorder who experienced hot flashes also reported sleep disturbances, which had an impact on mood symptoms 21 . Addressing sleep disturbances has been described as an important aspect of the management of bipolar disorder, as sleep changes are both a key symptom 2 and potential cause of mood episodes for people living with this condition 22 .…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…6 A recent qualitative study found that women with bipolar disorder who experienced hot flashes also reported sleep disturbances, which had an impact on mood symptoms. 21 Addressing sleep disturbances has been described as an important aspect of the management of bipolar disorder, as sleep changes are both a key symptom 2 and potential cause of mood episodes for people living with this condition. 22 However how sleep disturbances may be related to mood disturbance or hot flash symptom severity during the menopausal transition for women with bipolar disorder is largely unknown.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Stress predicts depression symptoms for women living with bipolar disorder during the menopause transition

Perich

Ussher

2021

Menopause

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Objective: Although sleep disturbance is an important feature in bipolar disorder, the relationship between mood symptoms, sleep disturbances, and hot flash symptom severity during menopause for women with bipolar disorder is largely unknown.Methods: Women with bipolar disorder (n ¼ 100) who were categorized as perimenopausal using the STRAW and Monash criteria took part in an international online survey. The survey contained questions on history of reproductive health; the clinical course of bipolar disorder; menopausal symptoms (Menopause Rating Scale [MRS]); depression, anxiety, and stress (Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale-21) and the Altman Mania Rating Scale.Results: MRS sleep problems and hot flash severity were positively correlated with each other and with depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms. Mania scores were not significantly correlated with sleep or hot flash severity scores. A stepwise regression analysis on depression symptoms, using MRS sleep disturbance and MRS hot flash severity scores as predictors with anxiety and stress symptoms in the model, found that stress alone predicted 40% of the variance in total depression scores.Conclusion: Stress plays an important role in the experience of depression for women living with bipolar disorder during the perimenopausal phase. More research is needed to determine if stress management programs may be helpful for women living with bipolar disorder during this time of life and if these in turn, may improve depressive symptoms.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

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confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%

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Stress predicts depression symptoms for women living with bipolar disorder during the menopause transition

Perich

Ussher

2021

Menopause

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“…Some studies focused on the menopausal experience of women with diseases. For example, some studies have investigated how autistic women deal with major life changes during the menopausal transition in middle age [ 26 ] and their understanding of the positive and negative aspects of menopausal changes [ 27 ]; other studies focus on how bipolar affective disorder patients experience mood changes during menopause and the impact on their treatment decisions [ 28 ]. In addition, some scholars have called for research on migrant and refugee women related to sexual embodiment, including menopause, to promote sexual and reproductive health and understand gender subjectivity.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

"They see me as mentally ill": the stigmatization experiences of Chinese menopausal women in the family

Huang

et al. 2023

BMC Women's Health

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Background Menopausal women are regarded as “abnormal people” in China and are often discriminated against and ostracized, especially in the privacy of their homes. However, research on the stigmatization of menopausal women in China is limited. The aim of this study is to explore and describe the stigmatization experiences of Chinese menopausal women in the family and their feelings about these experiences. Methods A phenomenological qualitative research design involving in-depth semi-structured interviews was selected. Our data analysis adopted Colaizzi's methodology. Results Fourteen menopausal women participated in this study. Four themes and 12 subthemes emerged: (1) violent treatment (verbal and physical violence); (2) lack of attention and companionship (lack of understanding of physical and psychological suffering, neglect of the value of labour and difficulty finding someone to talk to and accompany them); (3) coping struggles (keeping quiet, fighting back, changing inappropriate perceptions and developing a menopausal transition management plan); and (4) despair (deep-rooted perceptions, restrictions on travel and consumption, and unknown "healing" times). Conclusion Our results suggest that Chinese menopausal women suffer physically and mentally within their families. The stigma of menopause is both a symptom of the broad societal lack of knowledge regarding menopause and a reflection of the patriarchal oppression of women in a specific cultural context. Accordingly, this study can help menopausal women and society in general better understand the former’s stigmatization experiences and amplify their inner voices. Moreover, it can serve as a reference for the formulation of menopause-related health policies in China and for advocating and promoting humanistic care for menopausal women.

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“…Up to 15% of more than 20 million women experiencing menopause each year in the United States are also diagnosed with a mood disorder, including bipolar disorder (BD) and major depressive disorder (MDD). 1 Quantitative 2 , 3 and limited qualitative research 4 , 5 indicate women diagnosed with a mood disorder might experience an increase in depressive, hypomanic, or manic symptoms during perimenopause and postmenopause.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Narrative Analyses: Cognitive Behavior Group Therapy for Women with Menopause and Bipolar or Major Depressive Disorders

Conklin

Carpenter

Whitney

et al. 2021

Women's Health Reports

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Background: Bipolar and depressive disorders (bipolar disorder [BD], major depressive disorder [MDD]), as well as menopause affect millions of women. Although there are three known cognitive behavioral group treatment (CBGT) protocols to help women with problematic menopause symptoms, they do not target women on the BD or MDD spectrum. The purpose of this qualitative study was to learn more about the treatment needs and group experiences of women with problematic menopause symptoms and diagnosed on the BD and MDD spectrum, who participated in a CBGT intervention for menopausal symptoms. Methods: Narrative data recorded by clinicians (Interventionists' notes) and participants (Evaluation of Groups Survey) were analyzed using content analyses. Results: Several themes emerged from ( n = 11 BD; n = 48 MDD) what women wanted help with (specific symptoms and general aspects of menopause), what women liked about CBGT (specific and general aspects of the program), and changes needed in the CBGT intervention (things wished for and barriers that interfered with the program). The two diagnostic groups differed in their responses, although both groups identified content and delivery gaps they wished would be addressed. Specifically related to their diagnosis, women most commonly talked about problems with worsening mood and mood instability and multiple stressors interfering with their ability to follow through with the intervention. Conclusions: These findings can help refine existing CBGT protocols for women diagnosed on the BD and MDD spectrum seeking help for menopause symptoms. Trial Registry: Parent study [identifier: NCT02860910].

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“Is it menopause or bipolar?”: a qualitative study of the experience of menopause for women with bipolar disorder

Cited by 13 publications

References 58 publications

Stress predicts depression symptoms for women living with bipolar disorder during the menopause transition

Stress predicts depression symptoms for women living with bipolar disorder during the menopause transition

"They see me as mentally ill": the stigmatization experiences of Chinese menopausal women in the family

Narrative Analyses: Cognitive Behavior Group Therapy for Women with Menopause and Bipolar or Major Depressive Disorders

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