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
Across the world, there are thousands upon millions of people who suffer from depression. Upon the numerous sufferers,
Clinical depression, which affects about 10% of the adult population (Holtz, Stokes, 1138), is charact...
In unit seven, this learner took part in a debate involving the causes of depression. Depression is a debilitating mental disorder that can be detrimental to a person’s way of living. For centuries, psychologists and researchers have been searching for a single cause of depression, identifying two perspectives to date. The cognitive-behavioral perspective includes influences of faulty thinking that develops from low self-esteem and or a learned helplessness. In addition, cognitive-behavioral perspective indicates environmental influences such as poor living conditions and socioeconomic issues as causes of depression. However, this learner presented evidence along with personal experiences to support the biological perspective of the debate.
According to research, African American women face tougher hardships when dealing with depression. This is a research proposal examining how African American females rate their levels of depression. The National Institute of Mental Health defined depression as “a mental illness when someone experiences sadness and a lack of interest in everyday social activities.” The DBSA (Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance) stated that at least 14.8 million American adults, or about 6.7 percent of the U.S. population age 18 and older, suffer from some form of depression. Depression is sometimes used to describe those that are sad from time to time with or without “valid” explanation as well as those who often feel lonely or neglected. No matter what
Williamson, J. S. (2008). Depression. Phi Kappa Phi Forum, 88(1), 18-18, 24. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.library.capella.edu/docview/235187495?accountid=27965
U.S. Public Health Service.(1999). The Surgeon General’s Report on Mental Health. Retrieved June,5,2000, from http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/mentalhealth/home.html
Weisman, M.M., Livingston, B.M., Leaf, P.J., Florio, L.P., Holzer, C. (1991). Psychiatric Disorders in America. Affective Disorders. Free Press.
Clinical depression is very common. Over nine million Americans are diagnosed with clinical depression at some point in their lives. Many more people suffer from clinical depression because they do not seek treatment. They may feel that depression is a personal weakness, or try to cope with their symptoms alone. On the other hand, some people are comfortable with admitting their symptoms and seeking help. Such a discrepancy may account for the differences in reported cases of depression between men and women, which indicate that more than twice the numbers of women than men are clinically depressed. According to the numbers of reported cases of depression, 25% of women and 10% of men will have one or more episodes of clinical depression during their lifetimes.
Simpson, C. (2007) ‘Mental Health part3: Assessment and Treatment of Depression’ British Journal of Healthcare assistants. pp 167-171.
"The Numbers Count: Mental Disorders in America." NIMH RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Dec. 2013. .
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 than if single, unlike men who are more likely to suffer depression when single than married, and increases with the number of children in the house (American Psychiatric Association, 1994, p.317). There are many contributing factors to depression in women including but not limited to: hormonal, genetic, infertility, menopause, family responsibilities, gender roles, sexual abuse, work related issues, and financial problems. (National Institute of Mental Health, June 1999). Depression in women is mentally and physically painful but has treatment options available.
Whooly MA & Simon GE (2000) “Managing Depression in Medical Outpatients” New England Journal of Medicine, 343 (26) page 1942-1949
Cassano, P. Fava, M. (2002). Depression and public health: an overview. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 53, 849–857. Retrieved from http://www.psychology.com/resources/depression.php
Depression is most common in women. The rates are twice as high as they are in men. According to the National Mental Health Association, about one in every eight women will develop depression at some point during her lifetime. Women’s symptoms are similar to major depression. Some of them include being in a depressed mood, loss of interest in activities you used to like, feelings of guilt and hopelessness, and suicidal thoughts or recurrent thought of death. Women tend to blame themselves, feel anxious and scared, and avoid conflicts at all costs. They also use food, friends, and love to self-medicate. Some causes of depression in women are premenstrual problems, pregnancy and inf...
Kessler, Chiu . et. al."The Numbers Count: Mental Disorders in America."NIMH RSS. National Institute of Mental Health , n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2014.