Few middle-aged women with severe mental symptoms use psychotropic drugs: the Women's Health in Lund Area (WHILA) study.
OBJECTIVE
In a population of middle-aged women a survey was carried out to ascertain the prevalence of mental symptoms and psychotropic drug use, and further to investigate whether severe mental symptoms are associated with social situation, alcohol consumption, smoking, and physical health.


METHODS
All women (n = 10,766) aged 50-59 years and living in the Lund area were invited to the WHILA study, a health survey including laboratory examinations and a self-administered questionnaire; 6,917 (64.2%) participated. This study is based on the questionnaire only.


RESULTS
During the past three months 25.4% (n = 1,709) had been troubled by none or 1 mental symptom (labelled "absent/slight"), 52.8% (n = 3,555) by 2-6 mental symptoms ("moderate") and 21.8% (n = 1,471) by 7-10 mental symptoms ("severe"). Among women with severe mental symptoms 15.4% regularly used psychotropic drugs, mainly antidepressants. A multiple logistic regression analysis showed that women with severe mental symptoms had higher odds for living alone (OR 1.7; CI 1.3-2.2) or as single parents (OR 2.1; CI 1.2-3.6), being university-educated (OR 1.5; CI 1.1-2.0), being on long-term sick-leave (OR 8.8; CI 3.0-25.5), using hormone replacement therapy (OR 1.3; CI 1.1-1.6), and having severe physical symptoms (136.8; CI 89.2-209.7) compared with women with absent/slight mental symptoms.


CONCLUSIONS
Mental symptoms were common among the participating women. The presence of severe mental symptoms was strongly associated with severe physical symptoms. Few women with severe mental symptoms used psychotropic drugs. Middle-aged women with severe mental symptoms need to be identified and provided with appropriate psychopharmacological, hormonal, and/or psychosocial treatment.
Rundberg
Jenny
J
Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Division of Psychiatry, Stockholm University, Sweden. jenny.rundberg@psykiatr.lu.se
Lidfeldt
Jonas
J
Nerbrand
Christina
C
Samsioe
Göran
G
Romelsjö
Anders
A
Ojehagen
Agneta
A
D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology; D004363:Drug Utilization; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D011619:Psychotropic Drugs / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D011788:Quality of Life; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013548:Sweden / Q000453:epidemiology
D011619:Psychotropic Drugs