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Closer look at women’s mental health

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 March 2026

Hussien Elkholy Open the ORCID record for Hussien Elkholy [Opens in a new window]
Hussien Elkholy*
Affiliation:
Psychiatry, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Brighton and Sussex Medical School, Brighton, UK.
*
Email: h.elkholy2@bsms.ac.uk
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Abstract

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Keywords

Women’s mental healthperinatal mental healthmenopause

Information

Type
Editorial
Information
BJPsych International , Volume 23 , Issue 2 , May 2026 , pp. 57
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Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution and reproduction, provided the original article is properly cited.
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2026. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Royal College of Psychiatrists

It is a pleasure to announce the release of this special issue, focusing on women’s mental health (WMH).

In March this year, International Women’s Day was commemorated by the webathon Women’s Mental Health in Bloom, organised by the International Association of Women’s Mental Health1 and leading psychiatric organisations around the world – including the Royal College of Psychiatrists.2 The webathon comprised activities from different regions of the world covering various topics related to WMH.

In keeping with this spirit of inclusivity, this special issue of BJPsych International showcases contributions from authors representing diverse regions and perspectives, covering many facets of WMH. The opening editorial, written by Prof. ELNahas,Reference ELNahas3 President-elect of the International Association of Women’s Mental Health, offers a thought-provoking exploration of perinatal mental health challenges and urges action to address gaps in training, education and service provision. While the editorial centres on perinatal mental health, it also draws attention to the various factors influencing women’s mental health throughout different life stages, a theme reflected in the selection of articles in this issue.

Menopause is highlighted as another pivotal topic, given the increased vulnerability to mental health problems for some women. Hendricks et alReference Hendriks, Kamal, Saini, Rose, Reisel and Newson4 investigate the impact of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) on depression and psychological distress among women attending a menopause clinic, reporting significant improvements in mental health outcomes.

Turning to service provision, Alabdulla et alReference Alabdulla, Latoo, Khan, Iqbal, Hamad and Wadoo5 present a narrative overview of the development of women’s mental health services in Qatar, while Hartnett et al6 discuss recent advances in women’s mental healthcare in Ireland. Both articles offer valuable insights into service models in different regions.

The issue also includes a range of articles on more specialised topics. I hope you find this collection both enjoyable and enriching to read.

Declaration of interest

H.E. is a member of the BJPsych International editorial board and did not take part in the review or decision-making process of this paper.

References

International Association for Women’s Health. 24hr Global Webathon in Celebration of International Women’s Day. International Association for Women’s Health, 2026 (https://iawmh.org/womens-mental-health-in-bloom-webathon/ [accessed 24 Mar 2026]).Google Scholar
Royal College of Psychiatrists. Women’s Mental Health in Bloom 2026 – 24hr Global Webathon. RCPsych, 2026 (’https://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/events/conferences/detail/2026/03/07/default-calendar/women’s-mental-health-in-bloom-2026 [accessed 24 Mar 2026]).Google Scholar
ELNahas, G. Perinatal mental health beyond rhetoric: the need for a global transformative response. BJPsych Int, 2026, in press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hendriks, O, Kamal, A, Saini, P, Rose, AK, Reisel, D, Newson, L, et al. Improving detection and treatment of psychological distress during menopause: evidence from a clinical hormone replacement therapy cohort. BJPsych Int [Epub ahead of print] 29 Jan 2026. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1192/bji.2025.10094.Google Scholar
Alabdulla, M, Latoo, J, Khan, YS, Iqbal, Y, Hamad, SA, Wadoo, O. Advancing women’s mental health services in Qatar. BJPsych Int [Epub ahead of print] 9 Oct 2025. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1192/bji.2025.10070.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hartnett, Y, MacHale, S, Duffy, R. Women’s mental healthcare in the Republic of Ireland. BJPsych Int [Epub ahead of print] 24 Oct 2025. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1192/bji.2025.10072.Google Scholar
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