Adopting a Life-Stage Lens for Anxiety Treatment in Women

Anxiety disorders affect women disproportionately throughout their lives, with a lifetime prevalence rate of 30.5% compared to 19.2% in men.

Ahead of the 2025 Psych Congress NP Institute, Psych Congress Network connected with Moushumi Mukerji, MSN, PMHNP-BC, CNM, to discuss some of the key clinical takeaways from her session “Women’s Mental Health: Exploring Anxiety Throughout the Life Span,” presented alongside patient advocate Vanessa Joy Walker, CPC, MPH Candidate, Psych Congress Steering Committee consultant.

In part 1 of this exclusive 2-part interview, Moushumi shares detailed clinical pearls for anxiety treatment in women patients that enable tailored treatment strategies rooted in life-stage awareness and whole-person care. Vanessa brings a powerful patient voice to the conversation, offering insight from lived experience and guidance on self-advocacy for fellow patients and clinicians curious about the patient perspective.

Together, Moushumi and Vanessa highlight a collaborative, empathetic approach that every NP can use to refine their own clinical practice and, in doing so, improve treatment outcomes for this patient population.

Don't miss Part 2 of this interview: Clarifying Common Misconceptions About Treating Anxiety in Women

For more insights direct from the session rooms, visit our Psych Congress NP Institute newsroom.

Editors' note: This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity. 

Psych Congress Network: Could you share the steps you take in your clinical practice when screening, diagnosing, and treating women with anxiety? 

Moushumi Mukerji, MSN, PMHNP-BC, CNM: It is my practice to perform a comprehensive initial intake with each client, often taking up to 80 minutes. This allows me to become familiar with each client’s life situation, treatment goals, values, hormonal and gynecological history, and social history relatively quickly. I am assessing the state of a patient’s nervous system, their relationship and resiliency to stress, to what extent their lifestyle is protective against stress, and whether identified stressors are acute or chronic. 

PCN: Why is it so important to consider “life stages” as well as biological, psycho-spiritual, and social factors when addressing anxiety in women? 

Moushumi: Human development proceeds along a linear, archetypal pathway. This is particularly true for women, whose life spans are punctuated by discrete reproductive events involving hormonal maturation or senescence. These events themselves generate biological, social, and psycho-spiritual considerations for individuals.

I often take developmental factors into account. For example, a college undergraduate student will have different causes for, ways to describe, and meaning-making of the symptom they call anxiety compared to a peri-menopausal woman in a stressful career position. These differences separate along bio-psycho/spiritual and social lines. Treatments are tailored to address nervous system dysregulation, lifestyle modification, the ability to cultivate mindfulness and self-compassion, and patient values and preferences. I may be addressing acute situational anxiety/panic, for instance, around taking tests or body dysmorphia for the undergraduate versus chronic insomnia and the onset of irregular hot flashes for the peri-menopausal woman.

PCN: What are some of the pharmacological and nonpharmacological treatment options for anxiety in women? How do the factors discussed above shape the recommendations you make to individual patients? 

Moushumi: SSRIs and SNRIs are the most commonly used medications for anxiety disorders. These classes of medications target either rumination or sympathetic activation. Other anti-anxiety medications like benzodiazepines promote a sense of calm and offer relief from insomnia.

Dorsal vagal activation, however, mostly lacks pharmacological treatment and is better addressed through trauma-focused psychotherapies. Additionally, there is some overlap between treatments for anxiety and hormonally-mediated symptoms in women. SSRIs can treat generalized anxiety, OCD, hot flashes, and PMDD, for instance. Mindfulness, yoga, and breathing techniques, if taught properly to motivated patients, are beneficial, avoid side effects, and can lead to long-lasting changes in our relationship to problematic thought patterns.

PCN: Vanessa, as a patient advocate, what advice would you offer to other women navigating anxiety, particularly those who may feel overwhelmed or unsure about seeking help?

Vanessa Joy Walker, CPC, MPH Candidate: First, recognize that you are more than your anxiety, more than your diagnosis. I am a cancer survivor, a leader, a consultant, a wife, a dog mom, and so much more—and so are you, more than any one label or condition! Acknowledging the presence of anxiety is the critical first step toward healing, but never let it define your entire identity. While the crises we navigate might be burdens, we ourselves are NOT! In fact, it's my crises that have informed and shaped my calling. Give pain another purpose by recognizing how your experiences can become sources of wisdom and strength.

Find providers who understand the complex interplay between your physical health, hormonal changes, and mental well-being. As I've learned through my own journey with cancer, early onset menopause, and mental health conditions, effective communication with healthcare providers is essential. Look for professionals who listen actively, explain clearly, and approach your care with genuine empathy. Seek those who explore multi-faceted approaches to anxiety management and prioritize shared decision-making. Sometimes, the most effective strategies involve a combination of medical treatment, mindfulness practices, and lifestyle adjustments.

Learn how to practice self-advocacy in health care settings. Cultivating trust with your health care providers is paramount if you want them to listen to you and address your concerns effectively. This applies to how you advocate for yourself, too—approach your own needs with that same genuine concern. Document your experiences thoroughly. Insist on plain language that you can understand, and don't hesitate to ask questions if something isn't clear.

Build a support network that understands anxiety isn't simply "worrying too much." Through my work with Living After Crisis Inc., I've witnessed the transformative power of community. There are no words to describe what it really feels like to be seen, be heard, be valued—to feel like you're a part of something and the people standing next to you understand what's at stake.

Finally, extend compassion to yourself throughout this journey.

Remember: no single label, condition, or experience defines you. You are a complete, valuable human being worthy of quality care and support, regardless of your health status or life circumstances.

Click here to continue to Part 2 of this interview!

Moushumi Mukerji MSN, PMHNP-BC, CNM, is a psychiatric nurse practitioner in private practice with Hope Therapy and Psychiatry Center and Alma. She is also a certified nurse-midwife with 21 years of experience in midwifery, women’s health, and maternity care nursing in various settings around the country. In her clinical practice, she provides medication management, psychotherapy, and ketamine-assisted psychotherapy. She specializes in perinatal and women's mental health. Moushumi is a graduate of Yale University and The University of California San Francisco Schools of Nursing. She is a volunteer faculty member of the University of California San Francisco School of Nursing as an Associate Clinical Professor. In her free time, she enjoys travel, gardening, and meditating.

Bringing together lived experience as a two-time cancer survivor and over 15 years of health care expertise, Vanessa Joy Walker, CPC, MPH Candidate, transforms how organizations approach patient care and engagement. As a sought-after healthcare consultant, survivorship expert, skilled keynote speaker, and moderator, she partners with leading healthcare organizations in many sectors to create and promote patient-centric strategies. Through her work with Psych Congress, where she serves on the Steering Committee, and as Policy and Advisor for the Depression Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA), Vanessa brings authenticity and insight to conversations about mental health, survivorship, and healthcare innovation.