92 – Hormones, mood and mental health myths Dr Sue Varma

<p>Psychiatrist Dr Sue Varma joins Dr Louise Newson to unpack why hormones are so often left out of mental health care and what gets missed as a result, from puberty to postpartum to perimenopause.</p><p>Dr Varma is a board-certified psychiatrist and was the first medical director of the World Trade Center Mental Health Program, treating 9/11 survivors and first responders.</p><p>Sue and Louise discuss why psychiatric training leaves out hormones&#39; role in the brain - memory, mood, dementia risk - and why a proper medical work-up (thyroid, B12, vitamin D, hormones) should come before a psychiatric label. They talk about the stigma around seeking help, the risk of over-medicalising ordinary emotions and Sue&#39;s practical tools for difficult periods such as the &quot;four M&#39;s&quot; of mental health, the worry diary and her four-step framework - name it, tame it, claim it, reframe it.</p><p>Sue closes with three take-home tips for anyone having a difficult time right now.</p><p>Let’s connect</p><p>👉 Track your mood symptoms with the Balance app: https://bit.ly/4yZty5A</p><p>👉 More from Dr Louise Newson: https://linkin.bio/drlouisenewson</p><p>👉 Link to Dr Sue Varma&#39;s book : Practical Optimism <a href="https://gbr01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fa.co%2Fd%2FekTvcfq&data=05%7C02%7Cjane.underhill%40newsonhealth.co.uk%7Cc3a975beddc0497b330d08def6fef039%7Cc346d75ef49d4be0a131d8d8048c81b3%7C0%7C0%7C639219772174673025%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=%2BWHH95gOARcgUTiSl7Nut70D76N5D52nAZE4cW3Chyg%3D&reserved=0" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://a.co/d/ekTvcfq</a></p><p><br></p>