There are several difficult obstacles to overcome when your body goes into the menopause, depression being one of the hardest to tackle.   Depression during menopause is totally different to feeling ‘a bit down’ it can leave you feeling a huge sense of despair and isolation.Like any form of depression, the one experienced in menopause is no different, it can totally take hold of the sufferer and make them feel in complete despair and an inability to increase energy levels enough to shake it off. There is no answer as to how long this depression will last for, it could pass fairly quickly or unfortunately it could carry on for years to come.

It’s been found that menopause is not a cause of depression in itself. Menopause depression can appear at this time from many different reasons.If we look at things solely at the physical point of view, the body is undergoing such dramatic changes from the erratic hormone levels that it’s easy to have feelings of depression.As estrogen levels deplete you can find that you lack the energies you once had.You become consumed by fatigue that you just can’t seem to shake.   

You also feel mentally drained as well.Some women find that menopause is nothing to be stressed about at all and glide through it quite unaffected whilst others find the acceptance of infertility and their waning youth a far more challenging concept.This is the time of life that some claim to have a midlife crisis and it’s widely known that men can go through similar feelings of being useless and unwanted, that life has passed them by with nothing more to look forward to.Negative notions of an unfulfilled youth and life not holding anything else can sometimes creep in.

The sufferer mustn’t feel bad about these thoughts as they are quite natural. Menopause depression is very common indeed and is most likely to occur in the perimenopausal phase. Pinpointing the reasons for these emotional lows can be complex but the first road to recovery is that of acceptance that you need some help to get back on track. One of the ways to get over menopause depression is to seek traditional medical help.

Antidepressants are often prescribed by doctors in an attempt to supplement the shortfall in serotonin, the hormone responsible for moods. Another popular treatment is estogen therapy, commonly known as HRT (hormone replacement therapy). When the levels of certain hormones, especially estrogen, drops suddenly, this in turn can effect the part of the brain that’s responsible for your moods. This is why estrogen tablets often have an uplifting effect on your outlook on life.

 
It’s important not to be silent about your feelings as this in itself can feed the negative emotions, talking to a close friend, partner or a counsellor can help to lift the heavy weight that your low moods can have on you. Never underestimate the power of talking it through, it works almost like a confessional and may be all you need to shake menopause depression.