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 experience 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 increase a woman's risk
to develop depression are:
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- Puberty: Girls between the 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 menopause), and psychological issues.
2. Social and cultural factors: Social and cultural stressors
play a significant role in female 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 community health care services. Minority women might experience the
discomfort of discrimination.
- Marital status: Single women are affected by depression
more than married women. 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 emotionally, physically, and sexually 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 in a relationship.
- The threat of losing an 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
Medical Writer
OmniMedicalSearch.com
Depression Bibliography
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