Zhu JY, Yiming A, Zeng JQ. Depression in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis: Integrating psychological nursing into holistic care. World J Psychiatry 2025; 15(9): 110536 [DOI: 10.5498/wjp.v15.i9.110536]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Jing-Qi Zeng, Lecturer, Postdoc, School of Chinese Materia Medica, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Yangguang South Street, Liangxiang Higher Education Park, Fangshan District, Beijing 102488, China. zjingqi@163.com
Research Domain of This Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
Article-Type of This Article
Editorial
Open-Access Policy of This Article
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
World J Psychiatry. Sep 19, 2025; 15(9): 110536 Published online Sep 19, 2025. doi: 10.5498/wjp.v15.i9.110536
Depression in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis: Integrating psychological nursing into holistic care
Jin-Yuan Zhu, Adilijiang Yiming, Jing-Qi Zeng
Jin-Yuan Zhu, Adilijiang Yiming, Jing-Qi Zeng, School of Basic Medicine, Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi 830017, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, China
Jing-Qi Zeng, School of Chinese Materia Medica, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing 102488, China
Co-corresponding authors: Adilijiang Yiming and Jing-Qi Zeng.
Author contributions: Zhu JY contributed to the literature review and drafting; Yiming A provided critical revision and supervised the project; Zeng JQ conceptualized the editorial, reviewed the literature, and drafted the manuscript; All authors approved the final version of the manuscript.
Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, No. 82260873.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Jing-Qi Zeng, Lecturer, Postdoc, School of Chinese Materia Medica, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Yangguang South Street, Liangxiang Higher Education Park, Fangshan District, Beijing 102488, China. zjingqi@163.com
Received: June 9, 2025 Revised: June 24, 2025 Accepted: July 8, 2025 Published online: September 19, 2025 Processing time: 79 Days and 1.4 Hours
Abstract
Depression is highly prevalent among postmenopausal women with osteoporosis, driven by the combined effects of hormonal changes, reduced bone density, and psychosocial stress. A recent study by Cui and Su reported that 73.3% of affected women exhibited depressive symptoms, with low bone mineral density, chronic comorbidities, and reduced serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine) levels as key risk factors. Notably, nurse-led psychological interventions improved both mood and quality of life. This editorial underscore the need to integrate mental health support into standard osteoporosis care. Simple, scalable strategies such as routine screening and nurse-delivered emotional support may help bridge the gap between physical and psychological health. These approaches are especially relevant for aging populations across diverse healthcare settings. A dual focus on bone and emotional well-being is essential to improving outcomes in this vulnerable group.
Core Tip: Depression and osteoporosis frequently co-occur in postmenopausal women, compounding health risks and reducing quality of life. This editorial highlight recent findings that link low bone mineral density, chronic disease, and low serotonin levels with depressive symptoms, while demonstrating the effectiveness of specialized psychological nursing interventions. Integrating emotional and physical care enables clinicians to support postmenopausal women in achieving both psychological well-being and skeletal integrity.
