Gender Differences in Mood & Anxiety Disorders: From Bench to Bedside

by Leibenluft, Ellen

• ISBN13: 9780880489584
• ISBN10: 0880489588
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1999-05-01
• Publisher: AMERICAN PSYCHIATRIC PUBLISHING INC
• More Book Details

Summary

Epidemiological studies consistently show that anxiety and mood disorders are two to three times more prevalent in women than in men, and women are more likely than men to develop posttraumatic stress disorder in response to a traumatic event. One of the more intriguing questions in psychiatric research today is the reason behind these gender differences. Attempting to answer this question ultimately improves our ability to prevent and treat these illnesses. Gender Differences in Mood and Anxiety Disorders: From Bench to Bedsidecompiles the latest research on gender differences in mood and anxiety disorders. It examines studies investigating whether the presentation and course of illness differ by gender, including the symptom profile, the likelihood of relapse, and the chronicity of the illness. Contributors present data on The relationship between female reproductive milestones and psychiatric illness as a way to explain gender differences in disease prevalence, treatment response, and course New neuroimaging techniques that help to examine gender differences in brain structure and function and shed light on the differences between the sexes in emotion and cognition The abnormalities in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, which contribute to women's increased risk for depressive and anxiety disorders Perimenopause and menopause studies that link women's increased susceptibility to mood disorders to women's variable sensitivity to the psychotropic effects of exogenous gonadal steroids The effects of estrogen on monoamine function and the implications of these effects for psychotherapy In summary, this book conveys what is known to date as well as what we have yet to learn about the nature and causes of gender differences in mood and anxiety disorders. It goes a long way toward improving our knowledge of normal brain function and pathophysiology and ultimately helping us treat patients who have these serious disorders.

Author Biography

Ellen Leibenluft, M.D., is Chief of the Unit on Affective Disorders, Pediatric and Developmental Neuropsychiatry, at the National Institute of Mental Health in Bethesda, Maryland.

Table of Contents

Contributors	ix	(2)
Introduction to the Review of Psychiatry Series	xi	(2)
John M. Oldham, M.D.
Michelle B. Riba, M.D., Series Editors
Foreword	xiii
Ellen Leibenluft, M.D.
Chapter 1 Gender Differences in Neuroimaging Findings	1	(30)
Peg C. Nopoulos, M.D.
Nancy C. Andreasen, M.D., Ph.D.
Early Brain Development	3	(5)
The Adult Brain	8	(11)
The Aging Brain	19	(1)
Relationship Between Sexual Dimorphism in the Brain and Psychopathology	20	(4)
Summary	24	(1)
References	24	(7)
Chapter 2 Women, Stress, and Depression: Sex Differences in Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis Regulation	31	(22)
Elizabeth Young, M.D.
Ania Korszun, M.D., Ph.D.
HPA Axis Regulation	33	(1)
Sex Differences in HPA Axis Regulation: Studies in Patients With Depression	34	(5)
Sex Differences in HPA Axis Regulation: Animal Studies	39	(3)
Sex Differences in HPA Axis Regulation: Studies in Humans Without Psychiatric Illness	42	(3)
Discussion	45	(3)
References	48	(5)
Chapter 3 Modulation of Anxiety by Reproductive Hormones	53	(38)
Margaret Altemus, M.D.
Elizabeth Kagan Arleo, B.A.
Cellular Mechanisms of Reproductive Hormone Action	53	(4)
Relationship of Stress Physiology to Anxiety	57	(2)
Animal Models of Anxiety	59	(4)
Gender and Reproductive Hormone Effects on Anxiety	63	(7)
Sex Differences in Animal Anxiety Models	70	(1)
Sexually Dimorphic Impact of Stress on Behavior and Neural Structure	71	(2)
Effects of Gonadal Steroids on Selected Anxiety-Related Neurochemical Systems	73	(3)
Conclusion	76	(2)
References	78	(13)
Chapter 4 Hormone Replacement and Oral Contraceptive Therapy: Do They Induce or Treat Mood Symptoms?	91	(46)
Kimberly A. Yonkers, M.D.
Karen D. Bradshaw, M.D.
Exogenous Estrogens and Progestins	92	(3)
Effects of Estrogen and Progesterone on the Serotonergic System	95	(2)
Estrogen in the Treatment of Menopausal Mood Disorders	97	(15)
Estrogen in the Treatment of Nonmenopausal Mood Disorders	112	(2)
Summary of Studies Using Estrogen	114	(2)
Progestins in the Treatment of Menopausal Mood Disorders	116	(5)
Oral Contraceptives and Mood	121	(6)
Treatment Recommendations	127	(1)
Summary	128	(1)
References	129	(8)
Chapter 5 Modulation of Monoamine Neurotransmitters by Estrogen: Clinical Implications	137	(24)
Charles DeBattista, M.D., D.M.H.
David Lawrence Smith, M.D.
Alan F. Schatzberg, M.D.
Estrogen Modulation of Serotonin	137	(3)
Estrogen Modulation of Dopamine	140	(5)
Estrogen Modulation of Norepinephrine	145	(3)
Estrogen Modulation of Monoamine Oxidase	148	(1)
Clinical Implications	149	(5)
Conclusion	154	(1)
References	155	(6)
Afterword	161	(6)
Ellen Leibenluft, M.D.
Index	167