30
Views
3
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
Original articles

Hormone modulation: a novel therapeutic approach for women with severe mental illness

, , , , , , & show all
Pages 83-88 | Received 15 Sep 2007, Published online: 06 Jul 2009
 

Abstract

Objectives: Accumulating evidence describes the effects of oestrogen and other gonadal hormones on the central nervous system and, in particular, on the mental state of women. Evidence supporting the psychotherapeutic effects of exogenous oestrogen has started to emerge only over the past two decades. The purpose of the present paper was to provide an overview of different applications of adjunctive hormones, as treatments for symptoms of severe mental illness in women.

Methods: Three case reports are presented: in each case the woman selected had participated in large, double-blind, randomized controlled trials exploring hormone modulation. Case study 1 presents a premenopausal woman with schizophrenia, who received an 8 week trial of daily adjunctive 200 µg transdermal oestradiol. Case study 2 presents a postmenopausal woman with schizophrenia on a 12 week trial of adjunctive raloxifene hydrochloride 120 mg per day−1. Case study 3 presents a woman with schizoaffective disorder, in the manic phase, who received tamoxifen 40 mg per day−1 for 28 days.

Results: Adjunctive oestradiol was associated with an improvement in symptoms of psychosis in a premenopausal woman with schizophrenia; adjunctive raloxifene was associated with an improvement in cognitive functioning in a postmenopausal woman with schizophrenia; and adjunctive tamoxifen was associated with an improvement in symptoms of mania in a woman with schizoaffective disorder.

Conclusions: These findings are consistent with preliminary research trials suggesting that adjunctive hormone modulation is a promising area of gender-specific treatment for serious mental illness.

Log in via your institution

Log in to Taylor & Francis Online

There are no offers available at the current time.

Related Research

People also read lists articles that other readers of this article have read.

Recommended articles lists articles that we recommend and is powered by our AI driven recommendation engine.

Cited by lists all citing articles based on Crossref citations.
Articles with the Crossref icon will open in a new tab.