Hidden Mental Health Crisis Hits Gen X Women as Two-Thirds Report Struggles

A survey by the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) reported recently that almost two-thirds of women over 50 struggle with their mental health. Underlying factors included anxiety, sleep problems and bereavement, as well as menopause. Nine out of 10 of the 2,000 women surveyed had not sought any help.

Looking at women in the Gen X demographic, ranging in age from 50 to 63, many have lived through every flavor of chaos. Apart from haywire hormones and feelings of invisibility, there are also life-changing events that happen at this life stage – post-divorce relocation, caring for a parent with dementia, a breast cancer diagnosis, redundancy. Some are also supporting adult children with mental health problems who are still living at home.

Women of all ages are more likely than men to be living with common mental health problems (defined as being less disabling than major psychiatric disorders; depression, anxiety, panic attacks and OCD fall into this category). In England, around one in four women experience a common mental health problem in any given week, compared to nearly one in six men.

Suicide rates for women peak at age 45-54 – the perimenopause and menopause years. However, suicide is about three times more common among men than among women in England and Wales.

A lack of understanding about the impact of hormones on mental health is also driving an increase in mental health problems. Medical training has historically given very limited attention to menopause and often focused even less on prescribing and managing HRT. The medical model has traditionally interpreted women's midlife symptoms – such as low mood, fatigue or anxiety – as psychological, related to depression or stress, rather than recognizing them as physiological symptoms of hormonal transition.

Research with the Newson Clinic revealed that approximately one in six perimenopausal or menopausal women experience suicidal thoughts that are not being identified or treated effectively. This generation of midlife women are doing more than previous generations in terms of working and caregiving, and experiencing greater cumulative pressures.

The lack of access to affordable mental health resources is a significant barrier. Although NHS England talking therapies usually aim to start within six weeks of referral, waiting times vary by region, with some reporting a two- to five-month wait. Private therapy is expensive – typically between £50 and £100 per session.