Depression in postmenopausal Women

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The topic of depression in postmenopausal women was chosen because, although it is almost an "accepted fact" that postmenopausal women will suffer from depression, there seems to be little evidence to support the fact. As the human lifespan has grown longer with advances in the field of medicine, more women are living longer and are postmenopausal for a longer proportion of their lives. Any problems arising from menopause will have to be dealt with on a larger scale as the human lifespan increases and so it is important for medical and sociological reasons to define what these problems are and develop ways to treat them.

Many changes occur in a women at menopause, both physical and emotional, and she has reached a stage in her life when her familial and social roles have also changed. Changes in hormone levels at menopause affect women physically and mentally, and women have to adapt to a new role in society. No longer able to produce children, they must divert their efforts to other rewarding issues to maintain their sense of self-worth. For years, women have been lead to expect certain conditions to affect them at menopause, and it is only now that doctors are starting to look more critically at menopause to find out which of these conditions are truly due to the physical changes taking place at menopause and which are due to sociological changes taking place at the same time. Physical problems can be addressed medically with hormone replacement therap

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g through menopause. She dispels many of the past myths about mental problems associated with menopause, and goes step by step through the various problems women may encounter during menopause, giving clear clinical explanations in lay terms. She gives a clear definition of what menopause is and how to determine when it has occurred, and warns that women should know that they can still become pregnant up to a year after cessation of menstruation. McKeon discusses psychological problems which can occur to women during menopause, and outlines a way that nurses can help patients through the process by explaining to them what is happening and how they can deal with the different issues that arise. She recommends ways to determine patients= hidden fears and misconceptions about menopause and how to deal with these, and promotes healthy nutrition and exercise. All her recommendations are given in simple, everyday language which needs absolutely no medical background or terminology to understand. The paper then instructs nurses how to help patients deal with hot flashes and vaginal atrophy, again in simple language. Elias clearly spells out the benefits and adverse effects of estrogen replacement therapy, making it clear to wome
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Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 2974
Approximate Pages = 12 (250 words per page)

Depression in postmenopausal Women

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