Female and Depression
Although depression appears to affect both genders woman have been found overall to be more susceptible to it then men. Even the causes and symptoms differ from male to female. The unique factors of women’s depression can be linked to such diverse range of causes from hormonal to social pressures.The National Mental Health Association concluded that clinical depression affects over 12 million women in the United States every year. In other words 1 in 8 women are likely to develop depression in their lifetime.
Signs and Symptoms of Depression in Women
The normal signs of depression in woman may include but are not limited to: Prolonged sadness, Lack of interest and inability to find pleasure, Guilt, worthlessness or hopelessness feelings, Reduced energy levels and extreme fatigue, Sleep and eating disorders (too much, too little), Low concentration levels, Dark thoughts of death and or suicide
There are also unique symptom differences between signs of depression between men and women. Episodes of women’s symptoms seem to be more frequent. An example of this would be seasonal affective disorder which is caused by lower levels of sunlight in winter and more women develop this than men. Atypical depression causes men to eat less and lose weight but women tend to do the opposite and eat more and gain weight. Women also have a tendency to feel guilt more. Thyroid illness is more prevalent in women also causes depression and in fact Hypothyroidism has also been known to have symptoms as depression.
Causes of Female Depression
Women are almost twice as likely to develop depression than men which is due to a lot of factors that include biological, psychological and social factors. Biological factors unique to women include: Premenstrual problems, Pregnancy, Infertility, Postpartum depression, Perimenopause (stage leading up to menopause), and Menopause.
As you may have noticed the majority of these have to do with hormonal changes in the body. Social causes for women’s depression can include: Role position, Authority issues, Sexual or physical abuse, Other relationship problems, And socioeconomic status.
Psychological causes of depression include:
Coping mechanisms- when men are depressed they tend to seek out action but women have a tendency to ruminate. Talking it out with girlfriends or family which may bring temporary relief but will also maintain or prolong the episode of depression.
Stress response- women produce more stress hormones than men but the female sex hormone known as progesterone prevents the stress hormone system to shut itself down as it does during men’s stress episodesThe body changes and puberty- as females reach puberty and body changes take place it is often the onset of body dissatisfaction and the cause of low self esteem. These changes and the result low self esteem triggers can cause a risk factor for women’s depression
Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder
All women are familiar with premenstrual syndrome and it’s accompanying list of unwelcome symptoms. There are however a select group, about 1 in 10 whose symptoms are so bad as to almost completely disable them for periods of up to two weeks before the onset of their premenstrual cycle. During this time they can develop severe depression that may linger up to the second day of the period.
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