"This book is a must-read--for you and anyone else who feels your pain." -- "BabyTalk" Magazine"I don''t know of a single woman who wouldn''t benefit from something in this book."-- Linda Crosson, "The Dallas Morning News""A woman''s biology is still seemingly invisible to many psychiatrists, obstetricians, gynecologists, and other physicians. Sichel, a psychiatrist, and Driscoll, a nurse, have carefully created a book that should help open the eyes of health care professionals and patients alike. The biological processes that make women different from men affect not only mental health but also such major life events as pregnancy. Sichel and Driscoll describe many real cases, a common theme of which is the patient''s surprise and gratitude when the patient realizes she has actually found a physician or nurse who listens, understands, asks relevant questions, and can offer practical suggestions for overcoming or at least managing the presenting problems. Sichel and Driscoll''s therpeutic program can be summed up by NURSE, an acronym whose letters stand for nourishment and needs, understanding, rest and relaxation, spirituality, and exercise. They write clearly and support their arguments with solid, pertinent references."-- "Booklist""''Have you taken care of your brain today?'' The question arises frequently in this look at how women''s hormones affect not only their moods but their lives. According to Sichel (a Harvard Medical School professor specializing in psychiatry and neurology) and Driscoll (a clinical nurse specialist known for her work in women''s psychology and hormonal issues), the way a woman''s hormones function in relation to her brain (and thus her entire body) dictates how herlife will unfold. Drawing on women''s personal stories as well as on clinical studies, Sichel and Driscoll explain why a woman''s transit through her menstrual cycle affects her moods: why the devastating, complex effects of postpartum depression ''are the biggest complications of birth today'', and how female hormonal imbalance undoubtedly causes depression. Readers are invited to utilize NURSE (nourishment, understanding, relaxation, spirituality and exercise)--the secrets to keeping brain function optimal. Whether a woman is menstrual, pregnant, postnatal, perimenopausal or menopausal, this book offers a wealth of detailed information on how to maintain proper hormonal balance and thus a happy and productive life."-- "Publishers Weekly""Dr. Sichel and Ms. Driscoll provide an impressive and unique perspective in which they help women and their families understand that the brain is the basis of mental health. They emphasize that the brain is an important, complicated, and fragile organ which must be nurtured throughout the lifespan. Theirs is a holistic approach in the best sense of the word; that is, what happens to the brain affects the entire individual and affects her over time, not just in a single moment of illness. Diagnosis and treatment must address these aspects of mental health, as does the comprehensive self-care program developed by the authors. A must-read, wonderful piece of work!"-- Katherine Wisner, M.D.,, Professor of Psychiatry and Director of the Women''s Mood Disorders program, Case Western Reserve University