Women's Day Explores a Major Issue for Women 40 -64 Depression

In the November issue of Woman's Day (on newsstands October 12), the magazine offers a comprehensive report on the rise of midlife depression in women. Doctors say that recent evidence suggests that the odds of being diagnosed with depression peaks at 44 with 15% of women between 45-64 experiencing frequent depression. According to Katherine Muller, PsyD and Director of Psychological Training at Montefiore Medical Center, "When you're tense, levels of stress hormone cortisol go up. Cortisol affects the balance of mood chemicals in the brain in such a way that you're more susceptible to depression." There are many reasons sighted for this disorder but the main ones include worries about large changes happening in life like children leaving for college and doubts about relationships, high stress as women now have to deal with more than previous generations as they juggle careers, kids, marriage, and aging parents and over analyzing and holding in concerns about "life so far". Most of all, doctors emphasize that depression is very treatable and that getting help in a combination of therapy and medications is a crucial step. Director of Reproductive Psychiatry at New York University School of Medicine points out that "genetics is a major risk factor for developing a psychiatric disorder" and that people with a family history should pay special attention to their behavior.

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