Women's Mental Health: key resources and further reading

Department of Health and Social Care, 2026. Renewed Women’s Health Strategy for England (No. CP1558). Department of Health and Social Care.

Department of Health and Social Care, 2022. Women’s Health Strategy for England. Department of Health and Social Care.

Department of Health and Social Care, 2018. The Women’s Mental Health Taskforce report. Department of Health and Social Care.

Howard, L.M., Ehrlich, A.M., Gamlen, F., Oram, S., 2017. Gender-neutral mental health research is sex and gender biased. Lancet Psychiatry 4, 9–11. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2215-0366(16)30209-7

NHS England, 2026. NHS Staff Survey results 2025: what you need to know

NHS England, 2023a. A review of health and social care in women’s prisons (No. PRN1912). NHS England.

NHS England, 2023b. Sexual safety in healthcare – organisational charter

NHS Wales, 2024. The NHS Wales Women’s Health Plan. NHS Wales.

Office for National Statistics, 2021. Domestic abuse in England and Wales overview. Office for National Statistics.

Malina Bodea, Miranda Davies, 2025. Silence, sexism and stigma: The state of working-age women’s health in England. Nuffield Trust.

McKinsey Health Institute, 2024. Closing the women’s health gap. McKinsey Health Institute.

McManus, S, Bebbington, P, Jenkins, R, Brugha, T, 2016. Mental health and wellbeing in England: Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey 2014. (No. 21748). NHS Digital, Leeds.

Scottish Government, 2026. Women’s Health Plan: Phase Two (2026 - 2029). Scottish Government.

Scottish Government, 2024. Women’s health plan 2021 to 2024: final report. Scottish Government.

Bichard, H., Byrne, C., Saville, C., Coetzer, R., 2022a. The neuropsychological outcomes of non-fatal strangulation in domestic and sexual violence: A systematic review. Neuropsychol. Rehabil. 32, 1164–1192. https://doi.org/10.1080/09602011.2020.1868537

Bichard, H., Byrne, C., Saville, C.W.N., Coetzer, R., 2022b. The neuropsychological outcomes of non-fatal strangulation in domestic and sexual violence: A systematic review. Neuropsychol. Rehabil. 32, 1164–1192. https://doi.org/10.1080/09602011.2020.1868537

Brainkind, n.d. Too Many to Count: Brain injury in the context  of domestic abuse. Brainkind.

Institute for Addressing Strangulation, 2025. UK Prevalence of Non-Fatal Strangulation.

Oliver, Rhys, Alexander, Barnaby, Roe, Stephen, Wlasny, Miriam, 2019. The economic and social costs of domestic abuse (Research Report No. 107). Home Office.

Oram, S., Fisher, H.L., Minnis, H., Seedat, S., Walby, S., Hegarty, K., Rouf, K., Angénieux, C., Callard, F., Chandra, P.S., Fazel, S., Garcia-Moreno, C., Henderson, M., Howarth, E., MacMillan, H.L., Murray, L.K., Othman, S., Robotham, D., Rondon, M.B., Sweeney, A., Taggart, D., Howard, L.M., 2022. The Lancet Psychiatry Commission on intimate partner violence and mental health: advancing mental health services, research, and policy. Lancet Psychiatry 9, 487–524. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2215-0366(22)00008-6

Crenshaw, K., 2015. Demarginalizing the Intersection of Race and Sex: A Black Feminist Critique of Antidiscrimination Doctrine, Feminist Theory and Antiracist Politics. Univ. Chic. Leg. Forum 1989.

Robertson, R., Williams, E., Buck, D., Breckwoldt, J., 2021. Ethnic health inequalities and the NHS. King’s Fund.

Anderson, F.M., Hatch, S.L., Ryan, E.G., Trevillion, K., Howard, L.M., 2019. Impact of Insecure Immigration Status and Ethnicity on Antenatal Mental Health Among Migrant Women. J. Clin. Psychiatry 80, 18m12563. https://doi.org/10.4088/JCP.18m12563

Knight, M., Felker, A., Patel, R., Kotnis, R., Kenyon, S., 2025. Saving Lives, Improving Mothers’ Care: Lessons learned to inform maternity care from the UK and Ireland Confidential Enquiries into Maternal Deaths and Morbidity 2021-23. National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit, University of Oxford. https://doi.org/10.5287/ORA-4JAVR692X

Howard, Louise, Trevillion, Kylee, Ryan, Elizabeth G., Anderson, Fraser, 2018. Accuracy of the Whooley questions and the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale in identifying depression and other mental disorders in early pregnancy. Br. J. Psychiatry 212, 50-56. https://doi.org/10.1192/bjp.2017.9

Alzheimer’s Research UK, 2022. Impact of dementia on women.

Salisu, M., Geer, L., Helzner, E., Boutin-Foster, C., Pato, M., 2025. Risk of Cardiovascular Disease Associated with Serious Mental Illness among People of African Ancestry. Ethn. Dis. 35, 58–64. https://doi.org/10.18865/EthnDis-2022-2029

Marwick, K.F., Reilly, T.J., Allan, S., Golightly, E., 2025. The menstrual cycle: an overlooked vital sign in psychiatry? BMJ Ment. Health 28. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjment-2024-301463

Shitomi-Jones, L.M., Dolman, C., Jones, I., Kirov, G., Escott-Price, V., Legge, S.E., Di Florio, A., 2024. Exploration of first onsets of mania, schizophrenia spectrum disorders and major depressive disorder in perimenopause. Nat. Ment. Health 2, 1161–1168. https://doi.org/10.1038/s44220-024-00292-4

Reilly, T.J., Sagnay de la Bastida, V.C., Joyce, D.W., Cullen, A.E., McGuire, P., 2020. Exacerbation of Psychosis During the Perimenstrual Phase of the Menstrual Cycle: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Schizophr. Bull. 46, 78–90. https://doi.org/10.1093/schbul/sbz030

Brand, B.A., Behrman, S., Marwick, K.F.M., Reilly, T.J., Talaulikar, V., McCutcheon, R.A., 2026. Women and psychosis: a guide to evidence-based, hormone-informed care. Lancet Psychiatry 0. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2215-0366(26)00016-7

Jang, D., Elfenbein, H.A., 2019. Menstrual Cycle Effects on Mental Health Outcomes: A Meta-Analysis. Arch. Suicide Res. 23, 312–332. https://doi.org/10.1080/13811118.2018.1430638

Reilly, T.J., Patel, S., Unachukwu, I.C., Knox, C.-L., Wilson, C.A., Craig, M.C., Schmalenberger, K.M., Eisenlohr-Moul, T.A., Cullen, A.E., 2024. The prevalence of premenstrual dysphoric disorder: Systematic review and meta-analysis. J. Affect. Disord. 349, 534–540. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2024.01.066

SAMHSA’s Trauma and Justice Strategic Initiative, 2014. SAMHSA’s Concept of Trauma and Guidance for a Trauma-Informed Approach. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

National Children’s Alliance, n.d. National Statistics on Child Abuse. Natl. Child. Alliance.

Neill, C., Read, J., 2022. Adequacy of Inquiry About, Documentation of, and Treatment of Trauma and Adversities: A Study of Mental Health Professionals in England. Community Ment. Health J. 58, 1076–1087. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10597-021-00916-4

Royal College of Psychiatrists, n.d. Violence and abuse are driving mental illness in women and girls, psychiatrists warn 

Debra Hertzberg, Cate Standing-Tattersall, Sophie Boobis, 2025. The Unhealthy State of Homelessness 2025: Findings from the Homeless Health Needs Audit. Homeless Link.

Thomas, Bethan, 2012. Homelessness kills: An analysis of the mortality of homeless people in early twenty-first century England. Crisis.

Care Quality Commission, 2018. Sexual safety on mental health wards. Care Quality Commission.

National Collaborating Centre for Mental Health, 2020. Sexual Safety Collaborative Standards and guidance to improve sexual safety on mental health and learning disabilities inpatient pathways.

Archer, M., Lau, Y., Sethi, F., 2016. Women in acute psychiatric units, their characteristics and needs: a review. BJPsych Bull. 40, 266–272. https://doi.org/10.1192/pb.bp.115.051573

Bridget Gorham, Olivia Langham, 2025. Women’s health economics:  investing in the 51 per cent. NHS Confederation.

Brooker, C., Tocque, K., 2023. The European survey of probation staff’s knowledge of, and attitudes to, mental illness. Eur. J. Probat. 15, 71–90. https://doi.org/10.1177/20662203231162741

Meczekalski, B., Podfigurna-Stopa, A., Katulski, K., 2013. Long-term consequences of anorexia nervosa. Maturitas 75, 215–220. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.maturitas.2013.04.014

Mental Health Foundation, n.d. Men and women: statistics 

Newlove-Delgado, T, Marcheselli, F, Williams, T, Mandalia, D, Dennes, M, McManus, S, Savic, M, Treloar, W, Croft, K, Ford, T, 2023. Mental Health of Children and Young People in England, 2023. NHS England, Leeds.

Women’s Mental Health Facts, n.d. . Agenda Alliance.