| This article reviews literature pertaining to the effect of menopause on Western women`s mental health. There is debate between competing models of menopause: (a) the biomedical, (b) the psychosocial, (c) the sociocultural, and (d) the feminist. The popular and historical view of menopause has been negative. Scientific literature has contributed to the stereotype of the physically deteriorating, mentally unstable, socially anachronistic, irrelevant older woman. More recent scholarly writing is revising this notion. This review found that during perimenopausal years there may be a slight increase in psychological distress, but generally middle-aged women consider menopause a relatively benign event, and postmenopausal women experience increased levels of mental health. NOTE: This article was written to satisfy a course requirement for social psychology. The author thanks Sally A. Radmacher, Ph.D., for her support and encouragement in submitting this article for publication. It was accepted and published in the March 1998 issue of Journal of Psychological Inquiry. SEE: Schuettpelz, K.J. (1998). Menopause and mental health: A literature review. Jounal of Psychological Inquiry, 3, 27-33. |
