Fifty-two is the average age of women who die by suicide and there is not enough awareness about the serious risk menopause can have on the mental health of middle-aged women, according to experts.
A new RTE documentary highlighted the life-changing impact menopause can have on women of every age, including a woman who started experiencing symptoms at just 28.
‘The Change - Ireland’s Menopause Story’ features Westmeath woman Shirley Powell who tells her mother Mary’s story, who died by suicide at the age of 51.
Mary went to her doctor because she was having trouble sleeping and was later given a diagnosis of depression. Shirley described how the link between her mother’s mood changes and menopause was never made.
“She was 51 when she started to notice her sleep changing. She was tired, things weren’t functioning properly, so she decided to visit a GP. He put her on a sleeping tablet and that didn’t work. It was going on for a couple of weeks so she made a second visit and afterwards she said ‘he told me I have depression’.
“Back in those days, we’re talking 14 years ago, people would have said that depression is a ‘mad man’s disease’ or ‘get them in, get them treatment’, and she wasn’t a woman for that. She would have died of the shame of people knowing that she had to go in somewhere for help.
“We went to another doctor, a psychologist, then A&E. So between the jigs and the reels seeing them all, nothing really worked, and, unfortunately, she died by suicide.”
Veronica O’Keane, professor of psychiatry in Trinity College Dublin, pointed out that menopause can cause sex hormones to latch on to specific receptors in the brain to change a person’s behaviour. A decrease in progesterone, which often occurs during menopause, can cause sleep disturbance, anxiety and depression.
Shirley added: “With my mam, the red flag was never raised to say ‘we will have a look at hormones and menopause’, and then it just spiralled to the point where there was no coming back.”
The Change – Ireland’s Menopause Story is available to stream on the RTE Player.
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