Depression And The Life Cycle In Women ?
Q: She hypothesized that women with a history of
depression were at high risk for physical and psychological problems during
midlife. Subjects were a community sample of women 42-52 years old who were not
premenopausal, and had not had a hysterectomy or oophorectomy. They were
screened for physical and psychological symptoms via telephone and followed up
three to nine months later by a standard structured psychiatric diagnostic
interview
A:Those with and without past depression were compared on symptom
and syndrome endorsements on the SCID. Subjects with past depression had more
perceived stress, increased dysphoric mood, and more physical symptoms
(headaches, stiffness in joints, vaginal dryness). African American women
endorsed more vasomotor symptoms and tended to report fewer dysphoric symptoms.
In the future, this study will be able to assess the impact of past depression
on women's health.
The comparison group was women with no history of postpartum depression. A
smaller subsample of 33 women was also administered the SCID, the Hamilton
Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D), and the Beck Depression Inventory. Women with
postpartum depression (PPD) had more prominent anxiety and somatic symptoms.
These women were referred by nurses, obstetricians and other psychiatrists to
participate in a pharmacological trial.
Although this was an open study, it utilized the KELLNER scale, which
differentiates the somatic symptoms from cognitive symptoms of depression. As
the postpartum period is a time of many hormonal changes in women, this
strategy seems to be very appropriate, as one does not want to attribute
symptoms due to medical conditions to functional conditions. The postpartum
period is a time when most women are taking care of their newborn and are sleep
deprived. Thus, the HAM-D might tend to overdiagnose the severity