INTRODUCTION The authors investigated the prevalence of depressive disorders and response to citalopram among perimenopausal women visiting menopause clinics. METHOD One hundred and eighty-five consecutive outpatients were screened using the short Beck Depression Inventory. A psychiatrist investigated persons who showed medium or severe Beck depression. In the case of DSM-IV major depressive episode, a 6-week open trial with citalopram (20-40 mg daily) was started. The 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) measured the severity of depression at baseline and at weeks 3 and 6. The primary outcome measure was the rate of responders at weeks 3 and 6 (more than 50% drop in the total HDRS score at weeks 3 and 6 compared to baseline). RESULTS Of the 185 consecutive outpatients screened, 48 (26%) have experienced medium or severe Beck depression, and 37 of them (20%) had DSM-IV major depression. Citalopram was started in 30 patients (daily doses ranged from 20 to 40 mg) and 21 (70%) finished the trial. The rate of responders at week 3 was 7/22 (32%) and at week 6 was 13/21 (62%). CONCLUSIONS Depressive disorders are common among perimenopausal women visiting menopause clinics, and the majority of those with depression respond well to citalopram. Interdisciplinary cooperation is the key point of the detection and follow up of these patients.
Keywords: SSRI treatment; citalopram; major depression; menopause clinic; perimenopause.