Anxiety

What do we mean when we say, ‘menopause anxiety’? This term refers to the increased tendency for women experiencing menopause, peri-menopause or post-menopause to suffer from anxiety.

Changing hormone levels, particularly oestrogen have been repeatedly shown to alter bio-feedback systems in the body. These affected systems include those using serotonin (the ‘happy chemical’) and noradrenaline (important in ‘fight or flight’ responses), which studies suggest may be associated with changes in mood.

This means that declining and fluctuating levels of oestrogen and progesterone play a role in anxiety symptoms (although other psychological and medical factors can also influence anxiety).

What Is Anxiety?

Anxiety is a common cognitive or psychological condition whereby you experience fear, worry, or nervousness on a constant or almost-constant basis. These feelings don’t go away and may get worse over time, sometimes affecting you to the point where simple, day-to-day tasks and situations become overwhelming.

The most common mental health condition in Australia, anxiety affects 1 in 4 Australians on average and 14% of all Australians are affected by an anxiety disorder every year. Importantly, studies have shown that women are significantly more affected by anxiety than men are.

While all women will experience hormonal imbalance associated with menopause, not all women will suffer from the same symptoms. It’s important that women understand the different types of anxiety, different symptoms, and possible causes to allow them to get help and find relief whilst going through menopause.

Types of Anxiety

There are several different kinds of anxiety, with different symptoms, frequency of occurrence and concerns.

Generalised Anxiety Disorder

Characterised by uncontrollable worry, Generalised Anxiety Disorder (or GAD), is an anxiety disorder that impacts day-to-day life. Women are more likely to experience this type of anxiety, which will affect about 6% of Australians in their lifetime.

Social Anxiety Disorder

Also known as ‘social phobia’, social anxiety disorder is a condition where anxiety affects your life, preventing your participation in everyday personal and professional social events. While many people experience some degree of nervousness or anxiety when faced with new or challenging social situations, people with society anxiety are likely to experience fears and physical symptoms that are much more extreme.

Roughly 10% of Australians will experience social phobia during their lifetime, with suffering more common in women than in men.

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (or OCD) affects a far lower percentage of people than other anxiety disorders (less than 1% of people in Australia), developing in late childhood or early teens.

OCD is characterised by two kinds of symptoms, being obsessive—irrational thoughts and fears—and compulsions—repetitive behaviours/rituals used to reduce anxiety.

Other Disorders

Other anxiety disorders include: major depressive disorder, post traumatic distress disorder (PTSD), specific phobias, and persistent depressive disorder.