Is It Hormones or Is It Me? Mood, Anxiety, and the Menopause Transition with Dr. Agnes Simone

Why are women about twice as likely as men to be diagnosed with depression and anxiety? And why do so many women in their 40s suddenly experience anxiety, rage, panic attacks, brain fog, or sleepless nights for the first time? In this episode of Finally, Dr. Raina Patel sits down with Dr. Agnes K. Simone, a UCLA-trained, board-certified psychiatrist in Los Angeles and founder of Olea Women's Health, a practice that combines integrative psychiatric care and hormone therapy for women in perimenopause, menopause, and midlife. In this episode: What estrogen and progesterone actually do in the brain The life stages when women are most vulnerable to mood changes, from puberty to postpartum to perimenopause PMDD, and whether a history of PMDD or postpartum depression predicts a harder menopause transition How to tell perimenopause mood changes apart from depression or anxiety Brain fog, and when it might be something more The rise in midlife ADHD diagnoses Insomnia, night sweats, and what to try before sleep medication When hormone therapy helps mood, when an antidepressant is needed, and nonhormonal options Which supplements and lifestyle changes have real evidence behind them How to get taken seriously by your doctor Warning signs that mean it's time to get help now FIND DR. AGNES K. SIMONE Instagram: @dr.agnesksimone Instagram: @oleawomenshealth FIND DR. RAINA PATEL Instagram and YouTube: @drrainapatel Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3mVmg2I... Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... Email: rainapateldo@gmail.com