Depression in Women

709 Words2 Pages

Women experience depression at twice the rate of men. Gender differences emerge first at puberty and occur mainly in the common mental disorders such as depression, anxiety among others. These disorders, in which women predominate, affect approximately 1 in 3 people. The frequency of major depression in adults is estimated to be 7 to 12 percent in men and 20 to 25 percent in women in a community and this constitutes a serious public health problem (NIMH, 2006). Several and variable factors in women contribute to depression, such as genetic, hormonal, developmental, reproductive, and other biological differences like premenstrual syndrome, childbirth, infertility and menopause. Factors associated to social issues may lead to depression such as family responsibilities, societal roles and expectations and increased rates of sexual abuse and poverty (NIMH, 1995) Poverty is one of the most consistent predictors of depression in women, it imposes a considerable stress while attacking many potential sources of social support. Economic inequalities are associated with reduced life expectancy and many negative physical health outcomes. Despite depression being a common mental illness, it is usually under diagnosed by doctors. Patients, too, appear reluctant to seek professional help as evidence has shown that only about two in every five people experiencing a mood, anxiety or substance use disorder may seek assistance at the beginning of the disorder. Depression and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are important women's health issues which are largely undiagnosed in health care settings, even though the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPTF) in 2002 recommended routine screening of adults for depression in primary care setting... ... middle of paper ... ...Woman Should Know, Pub No. 95-3871. National Mental Health Association.(1996). American Attitudes about Clinical Depression and its Treatment. Retrieved from http://www.nmha.org/ http://www.who.int/mental_health/prevention/genderwomen/en/index.html Works Cited National Institute of Mental Health (1999).Depression: Treat it. Defeat it.” Retrieved from http://www.nmha.org/ National Institute of Mental Health. The numbers count: Mental disorders in America. Retrieved from http://www.nimh.nih.gov/publicat/numbers.cfm. National Institute of Mental Health, D/ART Campaign: (1995). Depression: What Every Woman Should Know, Pub No. 95-3871. National Mental Health Association.(1996). American Attitudes about Clinical Depression and its Treatment. Retrieved from http://www.nmha.org/ http://www.who.int/mental_health/prevention/genderwomen/en/index.html

Open Document