Help-seeking behavior in Taiwanese woman with menopause-related mood symptoms.

BACKGROUND Typical menopause-related symptoms sometimes mimic cardiovascular illnesses or other physical problems. It is essential to understand the help-seeking behaviors of menopausal women. METHODS A total of 181 subjects were recruited from our menopause-related mood clinic. A questionnaire which included patient data and help-seeking questions was used. All help-seeking information was documented in chronological order up to register in the menopause-related mood clinic. RESULTS The average latency from the onset of menopausal symptoms to seeking evaluation at our specialty clinic was 16.8 +/- 27.7 months. The first contact was a gynecologist (28.2%), general practitioner (15.5%), cardiologist (6.1%), and psychiatrist (6.1%). The most common contacts were gynecologists (37.0%), followed by general practitioners (28.2%), psychiatrists (16.0%), and cardiologists (11.6%). CONCLUSIONS Gynecologists, general practitioners, cardiologists, and general psychiatristsare all potential gatekeepers for menopausal women. It is important to increase the public's understanding of menopause and improve cooperation between the various providers of women's mental health to cut medical insurance costs and improve the quality of care.