‘Menopausal Women are MAD’: Menopause and Mental Health in Late Twentieth-Century Britain

Popular understanding of menopause in late twentieth-century Britain often focused on physical signs such as hot flushes but was also underpinned by a persistent mythology of menopausal ‘madness’. This article examines the lived experience of menopausal mental ill-health and its popular discourse, exploring the impact on individuals, families and medical encounters. I argue that the myth of menopausal insanity not only instilled fear but also obscured the hormonal origins of other psychological symptoms, preventing women from recognising them as menopausal. Crucially, women’s distress was frequently dismissed by doctors, compounding their struggles to access appropriate care, with sometimes life-threatening consequences. Despite increased attention through women’s health activism and media coverage, many women continued to perceive a culture of silence and misunderstanding. This article contributes to a more comprehensive understanding of women’s health during a period of significant social change, while exposing enduring myths and assumptions that shape contemporary attitudes towards menopause.