Few middle-aged women with severe mental symptoms use psychotropic drugs: The Women's Health in Lund Area (WHILA) Study

• Published in: Scandinavian journal of public health Vol. 33; no. 5; pp. 384 - 391
• Main Authors: RUNDBERG, JENNY, LIDFELDT, JONAS, NERBRAND, CHRISTINA, SAMSIOE, GÖRAN, ROMELSJÖ, ANDERS, ÖJEHAGEN, AGNETA
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London, England Taylor & Francis 2005; Sage Publications; Sage
• Subjects: Alcohol Drinking - epidemiology; Biological and medical sciences; Drug Utilization; Female; Folkhälsovetenskap, global hälsa, socialmedicin och epidemiologi; General aspects; Health Sciences; Humans; Hälsovetenskap; Medical and Health Sciences; Medical sciences; Medicin och hälsovetenskap; Mental Disorders - diagnosis; Mental Disorders - drug therapy; Mental Disorders - epidemiology; Mental Health; Mental illness; mental symptoms; middle age; Middle Aged; Middle Aged People; Miscellaneous; ORIGINAL ARTICLES; population-based; Prevalence; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Psychotropic Drugs; Psychotropic Drugs - administration & dosage; Public Health, Global Health, Social Medicine and Epidemiology; Public health. Hygiene; Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine; Quality of Life; Smoking - epidemiology; Socioeconomic Factors; study; Surveys and Questionnaires; Sweden - epidemiology; Symptoms; Women; Sweden; Europe; middle age; psychotropic drugs; Mental symptoms; population-based study; women; Human; Drug; Middle age; Psychotropic; Use; Symptomatology; Chemotherapy; Treatment; Mental disorder; Adult; Female; Population; Woman; Severe; Public health
• ISSN: 1403-4948; 1651-1905; 1651-1905
• DOI: 10.1080/14034940510005897

Aims: 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% (w=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. Conclusion: 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.