Int J Neuropsychopharmacol
September 2005
Despite the prevalence of postpartum depression, few studies have assessed the efficacy of antidepressants for the treatment of this disorder. Failure to treat postpartum depression (PPD) places the woman at risk for chronic depression and may have adverse effects on child wellbeing and development. Eight female outpatients aged 18-45 yr were enrolled in an 8-wk open-label trial of bupropion SR for PPD.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: The authors examined the effect of a 4-week course of estrogen therapy on depression in perimenopausal and postmenopausal women.
Method: Twenty-two depressed women who were either perimenopausal (N=10) or postmenopausal (N=12) received open-label treatment with transdermal 17beta-estradiol (100 micro g/day) for 4 weeks. The Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale and the Beck Depression Inventory were used to assess depressive symptoms, the Greene Climacteric Scale was used to assess menopause-related symptoms, and the Clinical Global Impression (CGI) was used to assess global clinical improvement in these women at baseline and after treatment.
Background: Women frequently report depressive and vasomotor symptoms during the menopausal transition. Hormone therapy has been shown to improve some of these symptoms, although its safety as a long-term treatment has been questioned. It is still unclear whether the use of antidepressants alone may alleviate menopause-related mood and vasomotor symptoms or enhance the response observed with short-term use of estrogen therapy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPeriods of intense hormonal fluctuations have been associated with heightened prevalence and exacerbation of underlying psychiatric illness, particularly the occurrence of premenstrual dysphoria, puerperal depression and depressive symptoms during perimenopause. It has been speculated that sex steroids such as estrogens, progestogens, testosterone and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) exert a significant modulation of brain functioning, possibly through interactions with various neurotransmitter systems. It is therefore intuitive that abrupt alterations of these hormones would interfere with mood and behaviour.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPeriods of intense hormonal fluctuations have been associated with heightened prevalence and exacerbation of underlying psychiatric illness, particularly the occurrence of premenstrual dysphoria, puerperal depression and depressive symptoms during the menopausal transition. It has been speculated that sex steroids, such as estrogens, progestogens, testosterone and dehydroepiandrosterone, exert a significant modulation of brain functioning, possibly through interactions with various neurotransmitter systems. It is therefore intuitive that abrupt alterations of these hormones would interfere with mood and behavior.
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