Hysterical: Why We Need to Talk About Women, Hormones, and Mental Health

A riveting exploration of the link between women’s hormones and mental health--with advice, personal testimony, facts, and research creating a portrait of how hormones contribute to make up the ＂female animal＂

Hysterical seeks to explore the connections between hormones and health, particularly in the frequent mood changes and mental health issues women typically chalk up to the influence of hormones.
Journalist Eleanor Morgan investigates the relationship between biochemistry, our bodies, and our mental health, including the context for this discussion: the historic culture of silence around women’s bodies. As Morgan argues, we’ve gotten better at talking about mental health, but we still shy away from discussing periods, miscarriage, endometriosis, and menopause. That results in a lack of vital understanding for women, particularly as those processes are inextricably connected to our mental health; by exploring women’s bodies in conjunction with our minds, Morgan urges for new thinking about our health.
Examining the mythology of female hormones, the ways that culture shapes our perceptions of women’s bodies, and the latest medical research, Hysterical skillfully paints a portrait of the modern landscape of women and health--and shows us how to navigate stigma and misinformation.

Eleanor Morgan is a journalist who has written and interviewed extensively for the Guardian, the Observer, the Times, the Independent, GQ, Harper’s Bazaar, Vogue, Buzzfeed and the Believer. She worked as Senior Editor at VICE UK. Her first book, Anxiety for Beginners (not published in the US), served as a guide for those who live with anxiety disorders and those who live with it by proxy. Morgan is now studying to be a psychologist with women’s mind-body synergy as a predominant research interest. She lives in the UK.