Women’s Mental Health

By Priya Kaur Tahim, LPC

Did you know that there are specific mental health disorders that are unique to women? Three major mental health disorders that are unique to women include: Perinatal Mood and Anxiety disorder (during and after pregnancy), Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (before, during and after period), and Perimenopausal depression (during menopause).

Just like your physical health, it’s important to check in on how you are mentally feeling, especially during these specific phases in your life.

Things to look out for include, but are not limited too:

Persistent sadness
Feelings of hopelessness
Noticeable changes in mood, energy, or appetite
Difficulty sleeping or sleeping too much
Appetite or weight changes
Decreased energy or fatigue
Excessive fear or worry
Seeing or hearing things that are not there
Extremely high and low moods
Aches, headaches, or digestive problems without a clear cause
Anger or irritability
Social isolation
Suicidal thoughts

If you notice any of the above symptoms, it’s recommended to speak to a provider. An easy place to start is with your primary care doctor or reaching out to a mental health provider for a screening.

There are also several additional resources, that may be beneficial for you to reach out to:

National Suicide Prevention hotline: 1-800-273-8255 or text “hello” to 741741
Text “988” or call “988” ext 3 to speak with someone to get more health via the Suicide & Crisis lifeline
For Perinatal mental health resources, call: 1-800-944-4773 or text “help” to 1-800-203-7773