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Depression
Depression in Women
Women seem to experience depression more often (twice
more) than men, which is why depression is often
considered a “woman’s disease”.
However, being depressed is not a normal part of being a
woman, and is not a weakness. Depression is a disorder
with noticeable symptoms that require treatment in order
to be cured.
Statistics show that 10 to 25 percent of all women
will experience a major depressive episode at some point
in their life, and 12 million women in the US experiences
depression each year. Depression seems to be more
frequent in women between 25 and 44.
A woman suffers from depression when she experiences
the following symptoms:
- Depressed moods characterized by hopelessness, sadness
and worthless feelings.
- Loss of interest or incapacity to experience pleasure
when getting involved in pleasant activities.
- Appetite and weight changes.
- Sleep disturbances.
- Fatigue and lack of energy.
- Concentration problems.
- Irritability and an increased frustration.
- Suicidal thoughts.
Symptoms of depression are the same for women and men,
but women more frequently seem to experience guilt,
anxiety, increased appetite and sleep, weight gain, and
comorbid eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia.
Although depression prevalence differs between women and
men, the exact causes that contribute to this difference
are not exactly known. Depression is a complex problem
triggered by a combination of different factors, such as:
1. Biological factors: Depression can be
triggered by hormonal and body changes experienced during
different stages of life which can make a woman more
vulnerable or prone to mood alterations. Some of the life
stages that increases a woman's risk to develop
depression are:
- Puberty: Girls between age 14 and 18 have a
consistently higher rate of depression than boys
from the same age group.
- Menstruation: During and before menstruation,
women experience a series of physical changes
(abdominal bloating and pain, breast tenderness,
headaches), emotional changes (anxiety,
irritability, and down mood) and hormonal changes
(a decrease amount of estrogen and progesterone
can affect the transmitter that control the
mood).
- Pregnancy: A female body undergoes a series of
hormonal changes which affect the woman’s
mood.
- Infertility: Depression can be triggered by
hormonal treatments which increase the mood
swing, and psychological issues.
- Menopause: Women can develop depression before or
after they enter this stage. Depression can be
triggered by hormonal changes (hormones fluctuate
erratically) and physical discomfort caused by,
and psychological issues.
2. Social and cultural factors: Social and
cultural stressors play a significant role in
women’s depression. Women experience the burden of
work and family responsibility, they have a lower income
than men, can be single parents, or have a history of
family abuse.
Some of the social and cultural pressures include:
- Financial problems: In general, women are paid
less than men. As singles moms, some of the women
experience stress regarding the future, what they
provide to their families, and have less access
to communities health care services. Minority
women might experience the discomfort of
discrimination.
- Marital status: Single women are affected by
depression more than the married one. However,
married women are more likely to suffer from
depression than married men. Also the risk for
depression increases with the number of children
a woman has.
- Work overload: Depression can be triggered by the
overload a women experiences when working and
raising a family or taking care of her elderly
parents.
- Sexual and physical abuse: Those women that were
abused emotional, physical, and sexual during
childhood or adulthood are more likely to develop
depression than the general female population.
A woman's risk for depression increases if:
- She has a family or personal history of mood
disorders.
- She lost a parent before the age of 10.
- She has a history of physical or sexual abuse.
- She experiences persistent psychological
stressors.
- She has lost or might lose her social support
system.
- She is taking an oral contraceptive high in
progesterone content or a gonadotropin stimulant
as treatment for infertility.
The worst risk of suffering from untreated depression
is suicide. Unfortunately, women are more likely than men
to attempt suicide although men are more successful in
their suicide attempt than women. Seventy percent of
suicidal women choose to end their lives by
self-poisoning.
The risk factors in women which may lead to an
attempted suicide include:
- Age: Women younger than 30 are more likely to
commit suicide.
- Psychological stressors.
- Substance abuse.
- Personality disorders (especially borderline
personality disorder).
- Clinical depression.
- Marital status: Single girls have a higher risk
to attempt suicide than those married or involved
into a relationship.
- The threat of losing the intimate relationship.
The risk factors for a complete suicide in women
include:
- Severe form of clinical depression with psychosis
(a severe mental disorder in which contact with
reality is lost or highly distorted).
- Substance abuse.
- Past history of suicide attempts or current
suicide ideation or plan.
- Marital status: Divorced women or widows have a
higher risk to commit suicide.
- Suffering from one or more chronic medical
disorders.
- Suffering from panic disorder.
Article by Alina Morrow,
MS Psychology
OmniMedicalSearch.com
Depression
Bibliography
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