Incidence of depressive symptoms in women attending a menopause clinic: a preliminary study

Aim. The aim of the study is to evaluate the incidence of depressive symptoms in women attending a menopause clinic. Methods. Outpatients attending menopause clinic at the Filippo del Ponte Hospital in Varese (Italy), in the period from March 1 to April 30, 2005, filled up a specific questionnaire while waiting for the visit. The questionnaire included demographics and history (e.g. current or past use of antidepressant drugs); Symptoms Check List (SCL-90-R); Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). Results. Sixty-four women were enrolled in the study. On the SCL-90-R, the GSI scores showed a pathological pattern in 13 of the 64 patients (20.3%) and "somatic" symptoms cluster was the most frequent. Patients diagnosed as depressed using the BDI were 18 (28.1%). Thirteen (70%) of currently depressed women presented a positive history of depressive disorders. The analysis of depressed women according to previous depressive disorders revealed higher scores for women with positive history in both scales. Depressed patients have a significantly lower mean age compared to not depressed patients (53.3±6.2 years vs 57.33±4.9 years, P=0.023). Conclusion. These preliminary data show a strong correlation between a history of depressive disorder and recurrence of depression in menopause. Perimenopause seems to be a higher risk period for the development of a depressive disease compared to menopausal status.