The problem with anti-depressants

...and perimenopause

Photo by Christina Victoria Craft on Unsplash

The menopause transition is getting more and more press these days, but too often that coverage casually – and, it can be argued, irresponsibly – talks about antidepressants as a routine treatment option for mood issues.

The references usually aren’t attributed to anyone.

Of course in journalism, you don’t have to attribute everything in a story. But skipping attribution (in this case, most appropriately by an official body, ie ‘the North American Menopause Society advises’) indicates that what has been written is generally accepted to be true. 

This is most definitely not the case when it comes to antidepressants as a method of treating mood issues related to peri/menopause. Take this article on menopause and mental health published in June 2022 in Forbes, in which writer Jessica Gold tosses out this line: “Luckily, there are solutions and both therapy and antidepressants (alone or in combination) can be effective treatments.”

The reference is…