Menopauzális átmenet és bipoláris zavar. Hangulati epizódok és kimenetek – Szisztematikus fókuszált áttekintés

Abstract

Background and Aims: Hormonal changes during the menopausal transition – specifically the decrease in estrogen and progesterone levels – may influence psychological symptoms such as increased mood lability and depressive episodes during menopause. This may be especially important in women with bipolar disorder, who may experience an increase in their various mood symptoms. The goal of the current review is to explore the psychological effects of the menopause transition on women suffering from bipolar disorder (BD); in particular, we looked at the dynamics of depressive episodes during menopause and their relationship with quality of life, and the psychological consequences of hormonal changes.
Methods: We used a systematic, focused overview (scoping review), following PRISMA-ScR principles. We selected peer-reviewed studies published between 2015 and 2025 in English, which examined the relationship between menopause and BD.
Results: We selected seven studies fulfilling our criteria, based on which we found that during perimenopause the frequency and severity of depressive episodes increase, whereas the frequency of manic and hypomanic episodes shows less deviation from levels before the menopausal transition. As the person progresses towards post-menopause, the frequency and severity of depressive episodes decrease. The increase in depressive episodes during menopause is related to a decrease in wellbeing. Menopausal women’s subjective wellbeing is affected by hormonal changes during the transition period, and besides that by social support, psychosocial stress, and cultural factors. Our results show that the effectiveness of medication and psychotherapeutic treatment during menopause may vary, and individual differences may determine symptom outcomes.
Discussion: We suggest that future studies aim at a deeper understanding of the neurobiological mechanisms underlying BD during menopause, at the optimization of pharmacological and psychological intervention possibilities, and at the longitudinal follow-up study of women with BD after the menopausal transition.