Therapy Cafe - Menopause and Mental Health: Supporting Aging Women

As menopause becomes a more prominent issue discussed in healthcare, the conversation highlights the importance of understanding the hormonal changes women experience during midlife. Many biopsychosocial influences in midlife influence our moods.  We see an incidence of depression double, anxiety and panic attacks increase, and some individuals even present with a new diagnosis or exacerbation of underlying ADHD. In this episode of Therapy Café, we explore the crucial topic of menopause and its effects on mental health. Our special guests, Dr. Kathleen Jordan, Chief Medical Officer, and Joanna Strober, CEO and co-founder of Midi—a virtual care platform tailored for women over 40—share their expertise with host Marjorie Morrison, LMFT, LPCC, co-founder of Psych Hub. Our guests discuss the significance of recognizing the symptoms of perimenopause and menopause and how they affect women physically, emotionally, and mentally. By sharing practical strategies and evidence-based interventions, they offer hope and solutions to manage these life transitions effectively. The importance of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is discussed, alongside non-hormonal treatments and lifestyle adjustments. The episode serves as an informative guide for mental health practitioners providing tools to support aging women better and break the taboos surrounding menopause.

Learning Objectives:

1. Explain the physical and psychological symptoms commonly associated with hormone changes during perimenopause and menopause, including hot flashes, night sweats, sleep disturbances, vaginal atrophy, fatigue, mood changes, anxiety, depression, and effects on sexuality

2. Discuss evidence-based hormone therapy options for perimenopausal and menopausal women, including types, benefits, risks, and individualization based on the patient's symptoms and medical history.

3. Describe the effects of perimenopause and menopause on mental health conditions in women, including potential effects on mood disorders, anxiety, psychosis, dementia, ADHD, and eating disorders.

4. Explain the mental health implications of early/premature menopause compared to menopause at average age.

5. Demonstrate cultural competence and sensitivity regarding diverse attitudes, stigma, expectations and experiences surrounding menopause and perimenopause.

If you’d like to obtain continuing education as a psychologist, counselor, social worker, or therapist you can purchase a one-year subscription to Psych Hub’s training center. Once signed up, you’ll have access to earn CEs for this and every Therapy Cafe episode, plus access to our existing library of over 120 evidence-based practice continuing education courses created by expert clinicians. Go to psychhub.com/signup for more information. 

Follow Kathleen Jordan, MD: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathleen-jordan-md-37b6494/ 

Follow Joanna Strober: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joannastrober/ 

To learn more about Midi, visit https://www.joinmidi.com/