NIMH Pages about Women's Mental Health
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Clinical Trials Page
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Publications
- Women and Depression: Discovering Hope
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A booklet that describes the symptoms, treatment and factors contributing to depression that are unique to women.
Date: 2009
También disponible en Español
Science News
- NIH Encourages Depressed Moms to Seek Treatment for Themselves
- November 13, 2009 • Science Update
Numerous studies have suggested that depression runs in families. Children of depressed parents are 2–3 times as likely to develop depression as compared to children who do not have a family history of the disorder. Other studies have shown that remission of depression in mothers is associated with improvements in psychiatric symptoms in their children. Despite all signs encouraging mothers to prioritize their own mental health, many suffer from untreated depression while managing treatment for their children’s emotional or behavioral problems. - Premature Birth Risk Higher for Pregnant Women Taking SSRIs or Suffering from Untreated Depression
- March 19, 2009 • Science Update
Untreated major depression, as well as the use of antidepressant medications, may increase the risk for premature (preterm) birth, but the risk of other problems in fetuses such as breathing, gastrointestinal, or motor problems, may not be increased, according to a study of pregnant women published online ahead of print March 15, 2009, in the American Journal of Psychiatry. - Brain Awareness Week Teaches Kids How Their Brains Work
- March 17, 2009 • Press Release
The 10th annual Brain Awareness Week (BAW), a science and health education fair held in various locations across the United States, teaches fifth through eighth grade students about the brain. In Washington, D.C., it will take place March 16-20, 2009, at the National Museum of Health and Medicine at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Several institutes from the National Institutes of Health will provide interactive exhibits and lectures focusing on brain health and neuroscience on March 18th and 19th. - Impaired Brain Activity Underlies Impulsive Behaviors in Women with Bulimia
- January 12, 2009 • Science Update
Women with bulimia nervosa (BN), when compared with healthy women, showed different patterns of brain activity while doing a task that required self-regulation. This abnormality may underlie binge eating and other impulsive behaviors that occur with the eating disorder, according to an article published in the January 2009 issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry. - Mechanism for Postpartum Depression Found in Mice
- July 30, 2008 • Press Release
Researchers have pinpointed a mechanism in the brains of mice that could explain why some human mothers become depressed following childbirth.
Meeting Summaries
- Perinatal Mood Disorders: Components of Care
- May 07, 2009 – May 08, 2009
Bethesda, Maryland
A two-day meeting convened in May 2009 educated participants on essential components of care for women with perinatal mood disorders - Post-traumatic Stress Disorder in Women Returning from Combat
- December 08, 2008
Washington, DC
The meeting brought together experts in the field to review sex and gender differences in PTSD, identified gaps in research, and generated ideas for new research approaches and initiatives. - Roundtable on Mood Disorders and Hormonal Transitions
- July 28, 2007
Washington, D.C.
NIMH co-sponsored the roundtable with the Society for Women’s Health Research. The meeting brought together experts in the areas of postpartum and perimenopause related depression, in order to share information regarding research in mood disorders associated with reproductive hormone change.
