Impact of clinician and patient attitudes on clinical decision making for the symptomatic menopausal woman with or without comorbidity

Abstract

Culture, individual health beliefs and distressing symptoms frequently determine women’s perceptions of their menopausal transitions. Women’s perceptions of mental health problems and the acceptability of different interventions greatly affect if and what a woman is willing to try as a treatment option and whether or not she will accept the possibility that her menopausal symptoms represent a comorbidity with a diagnosis, such as depression or anxiety. These perceptions have a significant impact on women’s choices with regard to health practices, as well as on whether or not they will seek out medical care for their distressing symptom(s). Working with a woman’s beliefs, sharing decision making, and empowering her through health education are all critical aspects of the treatment of the patient with comorbid perimenopausal symptoms, regardless of their etiology.

Keywords::

• attitudes
• decision making
• depression
• health beliefs
• healthcare decisions
• health practices
• menopausal transition
• menopause
• perceptions
• perimenopause
• psychiatric illness

Notes

Questions to elicit explanatory models of symptoms are based on work by N Chrisman and A Kleinman [20]. Used with permission, ©www.afwh.org (2007).

Used with permission, ©www.afwh.org (2007).