Almost two in three women over 50 in the UK struggle with their mental health as they deal with menopause, relationship breakdowns and changes to their appearance, a survey has found.<\/p>\n
Brain fog, parents dying, children leaving home and financial pressures can also trigger difficulties such as sleeping problems, feeling anxious or overwhelmed, and a loss of zest for life.<\/p>\n
However, an \u201cepidemic of silence\u201d surrounds the challenges women face to their mental health in midlife<\/a>, as almost nine out of 10 of those affected seek no help to cope.<\/p>\n The findings emerged from a survey of 2,000 women aged 50 and over across Britain, commissioned by the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP), which represents therapists.<\/p>\n The findings were \u201ca sobering read\u201d, said Dr Lisa Morrison, BACP\u2019s director of professional standards, policy and research. \u201cWe know that for many women this stage in life presents a convergence of major challenges \u2013 from the menopause and other physical changes, to relationship breakdowns, caring responsibilities and empty-nest syndrome<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat is most alarming is that a staggering nearly nine in 10 women [affected] are facing mental health struggles but feel the need to hide it. For many women over 50, midlife mental wellbeing challenges are having a devastating impact on their day-to-day lives.\u201d<\/p>\n The negative consequences of a widespread \u201cholding back from opening up\u201d included trouble sleeping (59%), gaining or losing weight (43%), avoiding social events (38%) and withdrawing from friendship groups (28%), according to the survey, undertaken by the market research firm 3Gem.<\/p>\n Overall, 58% felt more anxious and overwhelmed by things that would previously not have affected them.<\/p>\n Asked what stopped them opening up about their mental welfare, women said they did not want to burden people (4%), felt they needed to \u201chold it together\u201d for others (45%), feared that other people would not understand (27%), and tended to keep a \u201cstiff upper lip\u201d (24%).<\/p>\n The BACP is launching a campaign today to warn midlife women that \u201cstiff upper lip\u201d culture is bad for them and they should consider therapy as a form of support.<\/p>\n Menopause presents particular challenges: the BACP\u2019s Mindometer research, its annual survey of almost 3,000 therapists, has identified a significant rise in women seeking therapy to help them cope with concerns related to it, especially anxiety.<\/p>\n When women were asked what pressures they had faced since turning 50 that affected their mental wellbeing, brain fog \u2013 a common side-effect of menopause \u2013 was the commonest answer (38%), and navigating menopause (34%) was the third most cited.<\/p>\n \u201cMenopause can lead to symptoms such as brain fog, poor sleep and memory loss, which can make women question their own competence and abilities,\u201d said Morrison. \u201cAlongside this many are navigating a transition in their home lives. This might include grief, taking on caring responsibilities for ageing relatives, young adult children leaving home, or the breakdown of a relationship.\u201d<\/p>\n Financial difficulties were also common, Morrison said. \u201cA culmination of even just a couple of these issues, on top of the usual day-to-day challenges, can be enough to make women feel overstretched and unsupported.\u201d<\/p>\n Janet Lindsay, the chief executive of the charity Wellbeing of Women<\/a> , said: \u201cHormonal changes during menopause can have a significant impact on women\u2019s mental health. A culture of dismissal can leave many feeling pressured into keeping their struggles to themselves.<\/p>\n \u201cPerimenopause and menopause symptoms or fluctuating oestrogen can lead to anxiety, low mood, irritability and brain fog, and without proper support, these can have a profound impact on a woman\u2019s life and wellbeing.\u201d<\/p>\n