Psychosocial Interventions Alleviate Nonphysiological Menopause Symptoms

WEDNESDAY, March 6, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- Psychosocial interventions are effective at improving nonphysiological symptoms during menopause, according to a review published online Feb. 15 in the Journal of Affective Disorders.

Aimee Spector, Ph.D., from University College London, and colleagues conducted a systematic literature review to evaluate the effectiveness of psychosocial interventions on nonphysiological symptoms of menopause (depression, anxiety, cognition, and quality of life).

Based on 30 included studies (3,501 women), the researchers found that mood symptoms significantly benefited from cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT; anxiety: d = −0.22; depression: d = −0.33) and mindfulness-based interventions (MBI; anxiety: d = −0.56; depression: d = −0.27). Psychosocial interventions were also associated with significant improvement in cognition (d = −0.23) and quality of life (d = −0.78). For CBT (11.3), mean total therapy hours ("dose") was lower than for MBI (18.6), suggesting reduced costs and burden for women.

"General practitioners and health care providers often struggle to know what to offer beyond medical treatment," senior author Roopal Desai, also from University College London, said in a statement. "This research will help give general practitioners and patients more options." 

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