BOSTON -- Doctors say one in five women suffer from depression. It is thought that menopause increases that risk signficantly. NewsCenter 5's Heather Unruh reported Thursday on how new treatments being studied in Boston could help you

“It was lack of concentration. I couldn't finish a book,” said Helen Lenart, of Salem, Mass. “There was a certain sadness that encompassed me.”

Lenart can not remember exactly when she fell into a deep depression, but she thinks it began almost 10 years ago.

“I had suicidal thoughts,” she said.

Lenart had no idea her depression could be linked to menopause until she met up with Dr. Hadine Joffe and enrolled in a new study at Massachusetts General Hospital.

“We know that as women approach menopause their likelihood of being depressed increases,” said Joffe, the director of studies at the department of psychiatry at Mass General Hospital.

Joffe is investigating two drugs that target chemicals in the brain to better treat depression in women between 40 and 60 years of age.

“Some anti-depressants target both those chemicals and some target primarily serotonin. Some suggest that if you target both you get added benefit,” she said.

Joffe said treatment is key for this group of women because as they approach menopause, the risk of depression increases significantly to more than 20 percent.

“One possibility is that if hot flashes wake you up at night, you sleep poorly, you feel crummy, and that could lead to some of the mood changes,” she said.

Lenart said that since she began the study in April her mood has approved significantly. Now at, 61-years old, she finally has her life back.

“Just a lot more energy and a willingness to explore things that I didn't have before. I see a big difference,” she said. “I just really feel it saved my life.”