New guidelines for the evaluation and treatment of perimenopausal depression

New “Guidelines for the Evaluation and Treatment of Perimenopausal Depression: Summary and Recommendations have been co-published in Journal of Women’s Health and Menopause: The Journal of The North American Menopause Society.

The North American Menopause Society (NAMS) expert panel was convened by NAMS and the Women and Mood Disorders Task Force of the National Network of Depression Centers (NNDC) to conduct a systematic review of the existing literature, and develop clinical guidelines for the evaluation and treatment of depression during the perimenopause.

Panel co-chairs Pauline M. Maki, Ph.D., University of Illinois at Chicago and Susan G. Kornstein, MD (Editor-in-Chief of Journal of Women’s Health), Virginia Commonwealth University Institute for Women’s Health, Richmond, VA, developed the recommendations with panel members on behalf of the Board of Trustees for NAMS and the Women and Mood Disorders Task Force of the NNDC. The panel focused on five key areas: epidemiology of depressive symptoms and depressive disorders; the clinical presentation of depression; the therapeutic effects of antidepressant medications; the effects of hormone therapy; and the efficacy of other therapies, such as psychotherapy, exercise, and natural health products.

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