Essay about Depression in Women

Women are diagnosed with depression twice as much as men. Often stereotyped as being more emotional than men, women are thus more vulnerable to depression. Emotions are taught and influenced and develop early on in life. The definition of depression varies with common factors in all being consist of time, severity of the emotion being felt/expressed along with consistency. A valid definition of depression would be: a feeling of hopelessness and/or sadness or little self worth. This is shown with a lack of interest in everyday activities and/or relationships and is consistent for several or more weeks. There have also been studies done of seasonal depression in certain areas.

The female population makes up the other half of the entire human race, how depression affects them should not be glazed over. He touches on the topic very briefly, and makes valid points but not enough to capture all of the knowledge. “And urban North American women, the most affluent demographic of the study, were the most likely to experience depression” (Junger, 20). While he does touch on the topic, this is one of the few quotes that focuses on women and depression in North America, not even regarding that this applies to women in most societies as well. Kastrup wrote an article called Cultural Aspects of Depression: “It is well documented that women run a greater risk in most cultures: overall, women have a 1.5-2 times greater risk of suffering from depression compared with men. In the Cross-National Collaborative Group, women in all countries had a higher prevalence with a female:male ratio varying from 1.6 in Lebanon to 3.1 in West Germany.” Again, Junger did include a brief mention of women, but narrowed it down to North American women, when it clearly expands to other

Depression is the most common mental health disorder; it affects over 17 million American adults each year. Depression is a mood disorder characterized by at least four symptoms such as changes in sleep, appetite, weight, and psychomotor activity; decreased energy, feelings of worthlessness or guilt; difficulty thinking, concentrating, or making decisions; or recurrent thoughts of death or suicidal ideation, thoughts or attempts. “Women are approximately two times more likely than men to suffer from major depression” (Research Agenda for Psychosocial and Behavioral Factors in Women’s Health, 1996) and it has been called the most significant mental health risk for women. Women are more likely to suffer from depression during marriage

While the hormonal changes are unpreventable, the early identification of post-partum high-risk women helps significantly in its prevention. Provision of education on its significance, the risk factors, symptoms identification, and when to seek help can be done by health care providers to possible depressed mothers. Thurgood et al (2009) stated, “the sooner these women are identified, the sooner treatment measures can be implemented to prevent postpartum depression from worsening into a more severe, chronic course.”

In terms of public health and associated concern, in the recent years it has been observed that mental illness has major impact on pregnant women and postpartum period which has become a concern of public health lately. The aspect that associated with pregnancy of women and their mental health that has brought this topic in the forefront is the fact that mental health problems like depression and anxiety have the probability to impact women twice as compared to men. The severity of the situation seen from a global perspective, shows that depression is one of the major reasons of maternal mental illness during the childbearing age of women, which is approximately between the age group of 18 to 40 years. As a result of this to the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) it contributes approximately 7% of the entire GBD for women of all age group (Leham, 2015).

society and stimulus” (Gilman) Where as in today’s society is more knowledgeable and is actively looking for solutions to the detection and assistance of getting needed help to the affected while eliminating isolation treatment of the woman experiencing the illness. Current society also does not shame a woman dealing with this illness is not a minority “Depression impairs approximately 7.5 million parents in the United States each year”.(Smith) Which is a huge part of the American population. Another reason of increased treatment is due to studies have shown “If untreated, depression can persist for years [10, 11]. Parental depression is associated with negative child health impacts extending into adulthood [9, 12]”.(Smith)

Cyranowski, J. M., et al. (2000) explains that by the age of 15 females are twice as likely to have experienced depression compared to their male counterparts. Puberty is a key stage of life where the transition can promote depressive tendencies for at risk females. The physical, psychological and biological changes in puberty can be perceived as negative for these young females. The timing of puberty in females can create risk factors for depression due to females comparing themselves to others who are at different stages. This part relates directly to the physical aspect of puberty where females gain breasts and gain body fat. These physical changes can be taxing on a female's psychological state as weight and self-esteem are constant issues

.Depression is one of the psychological disorders that influence 15-25 % of adults in United States every year. Women are twice as likely as men to experience symptoms of depression. In women, most common period of occurrence of depression is between 18-44 years and this happens to be the prime childbearing years. Women who are at risk for depression are very vulnerable during pregnancy and after child birth because of hormonal fluctuations. Postpartum depression is a clinical term associated with a major depressive episode associated with childbirth.

It has been discovered that women are suffering more than men with the psychological disorders such as depression. There are many reasons behind it such as interpersonal violence. There are many intervention methods that have been introduced to manage this issue. One approach is to target the symptoms and biological factors that cause depression. The outside environment of any person, along with intensity of circumstances and incidents play a crucial role in determining mental health. It is necessary to investigate how an

According to a report released by the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), “The rate of antidepressant use in this country among teens and adults (people ages 12 and older) increased by almost 400% between 2005 and 2008.” One of the more disquieting statistics from this report, which analyzed prescription claims data from 2.5 million insured Americans from 2001 to 2010, is that one in four women is prescribed medication for a mental health concern, compared to just 15 percent of men. These striking numbers for an increased need for emotional medication may be related to the biological factors that contribute to the high depression rates among women. Additionally, in a time when women feel the immense pressure to compete in a

Men and women are biologically similar in regards to the hormones and chemicals involved with depression. However socially, each gender encounters different social afflictions that can often lead them into depressive states. In this essay, we will explore the common struggles that each gender experiences and how these realities effect their contrasting developments of depression.

The site goes on to list some of the reasons that women have depression “are genes, brain chemistry and changing hormones, postpartum depression, and stress” (n.d.). The National Institute of Mental Health recognizes that there is a genetic link between women and depression and that there is other factors such as stress from daily life and depression that can come from giving birth. There is different types of depression and it can come in different stages of life. According to the National Institute of Mental Health “More women than men get depression” (n.d.). A woman that is on medication for depression should keep in contact with her doctor, and consult with them if they are trying to get pregnant, or if they are already pregnant. The National Institute of Mental Health has a comprehensive list of phone numbers and websites to visit in order to start the journey of receiving help for depression. The National Institute of Mental Health also lists different therapies and medications that can help treat women who have depression. The medicine for depression can have side-effects, so keeping in contact with the doctor is essential. The National Institute of Mental Health also has a section on how you can help a loved one whom you believe to suffer from depression. The article also goes on to state how one can help themselves when they recognize that they suffer from depression,

Howk and Bennett (2010) state that depression is affecting women’s health every year in the United States of America. The cost of depression ranges from billions of dollars in lost of productivity, time, and medical care. Women represent about two-thirds of those affected. The researchers in this study conducted experiment on the immune function and health outcomes in women with depression to a non-depressed control group. According to Psychoneuroimmunolgy theory, scores on the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) divided forty healthy Caucasian women between the ages of eighteen and sixty-five years into a depression or control group. It was reported that women with depression showed significantly more signs of illness at the time of

The connection between gender and psychological disorders seems to be hard to ignore and yet today we still lack the distinct research and treatment necessary to resolve the epidemic of psychological disorders in women. Women are twice as likely to suffer from anxiety disorders than men, a study showed 10% of mothers obtain a mental health problem during motherhood while only 6% of fathers experience these issues (“Mental Health Statistics: Men and Women.") and women predominate over men in rates of major depression (Astbury, Cabral). The gap in between men and women experiencing these mental health problems seems to be clear but we have to ask ourselves, why? We often associate mental health issues with individual

Depression and anxiety is vastly dominated with women as to men due to the life changing factorsin the past that women have been through (Robinson, 2006). Depression is seen as a form of mental illness that are generally suffered by women. According to (National Institute For Clinical Excellence, 2003) 1 in every 4 woman are being omitted in hospital because of depression