---
title: "Psych News Alert: Guidelines for Treating Perimenopausal Depression Released"
description: Studies suggest women are at an increased risk of depression during perimenopause—the time right before menopause when female hormones st...
image: https://alert.psychnews.org/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/therapist_women_iStock-814596226-Jun-24-2025-09-26-27-4707-PM.jpg
---

 9/7/18 12:00 AM

# Guidelines for Treating Perimenopausal Depression Released

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Studies suggest women are at an increased risk of depression during perimenopause—the time right before menopause when female hormones start to decline. A multi-institute expert panel convened by the North American Menopause Society and the National Network on Depression Centers Women and Mood Disorders Task Group has now developed and published the first-ever [guidelines](https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/jwh.2018.27099.mensocrec) for the evaluation and treatment of perimenopausal depression.

The guidelines were jointly published in the journals *Menopause* and the *Journal of Women's Health*.

“The notion of a menopause-associated depression … has been the focus of clinical and scientific debate for years,” wrote the panel members. “The lack of consensus on this issue has also led to a lack of clarity [on] how to evaluate and treat depression in women during the menopausal transition and postmenopausal period.”

The expert panel, co-chaired by Pauline Maki, Ph.D., of the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine and Susan Kornstein, M.D., of Virginia Commonwealth University focused on five areas: epidemiology, clinical presentation, effects of antidepressants, effects of hormone therapy, and efficacy of other therapies such as psychotherapy and exercise.

The recommendations made by the panel include the following:

- Proven therapeutic options for depression such as antidepressants and psychotherapy are best for treating major depressive episodes during perimenopause.
- Existing data suggest that antidepressants can be given to perimenopausal women at doses typically prescribed to adults.
- There is some evidence that estrogen therapy has antidepressant effects when administered to perimenopausal women with depression. However, estrogen therapy has been shown to be ineffective as a treatment for depressive disorders in postmenopausal women.
- Hormonal contraceptives may improve depressive symptoms in women approaching menopause.

To read more about depression and menopause, see the *Psychiatric News* article “[Older Age at Menopause May Reduce Risk of Depression](https://psychnews.psychiatryonline.org/doi/10.1176/appi.pn.2016.2a20).”

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[perimenopausal depression](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/perimenopausal-depression), [hormonal contraception](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/hormonal-contraception), [guidelines](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/guidelines), [women's health](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/womens-health), [menopause](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/menopause), [estrogen replacement therapy](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/estrogen-replacement-therapy)

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