Essay about Depression in Women

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

society and stimulus” (Gilman) Where as in today’s society is more knowledgeable and is actively looking for solutions to the detection and assistance of getting needed help to the affected while eliminating isolation treatment of the woman experiencing the illness. Current society also does not shame a woman dealing with this illness is not a minority “Depression impairs approximately 7.5 million parents in the United States each year”.(Smith) Which is a huge part of the American population. Another reason of increased treatment is due to studies have shown “If untreated, depression can persist for years [10, 11]. Parental depression is associated with negative child health impacts extending into adulthood [9, 12]”.(Smith)

In terms of public health and associated concern, in the recent years it has been observed that mental illness has major impact on pregnant women and postpartum period which has become a concern of public health lately. The aspect that associated with pregnancy of women and their mental health that has brought this topic in the forefront is the fact that mental health problems like depression and anxiety have the probability to impact women twice as compared to men. The severity of the situation seen from a global perspective, shows that depression is one of the major reasons of maternal mental illness during the childbearing age of women, which is approximately between the age group of 18 to 40 years. As a result of this to the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) it contributes approximately 7% of the entire GBD for women of all age group (Leham, 2015).

.Depression is one of the psychological disorders that influence 15-25 % of adults in United States every year. Women are twice as likely as men to experience symptoms of depression. In women, most common period of occurrence of depression is between 18-44 years and this happens to be the prime childbearing years. Women who are at risk for depression are very vulnerable during pregnancy and after child birth because of hormonal fluctuations. Postpartum depression is a clinical term associated with a major depressive episode associated with childbirth.

According to a report released by the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), “The rate of antidepressant use in this country among teens and adults (people ages 12 and older) increased by almost 400% between 2005 and 2008.” One of the more disquieting statistics from this report, which analyzed prescription claims data from 2.5 million insured Americans from 2001 to 2010, is that one in four women is prescribed medication for a mental health concern, compared to just 15 percent of men. These striking numbers for an increased need for emotional medication may be related to the biological factors that contribute to the high depression rates among women. Additionally, in a time when women feel the immense pressure to compete in a

While the hormonal changes are unpreventable, the early identification of post-partum high-risk women helps significantly in its prevention. Provision of education on its significance, the risk factors, symptoms identification, and when to seek help can be done by health care providers to possible depressed mothers. Thurgood et al (2009) stated, “the sooner these women are identified, the sooner treatment measures can be implemented to prevent postpartum depression from worsening into a more severe, chronic course.”

It has been discovered that women are suffering more than men with the psychological disorders such as depression. There are many reasons behind it such as interpersonal violence. There are many intervention methods that have been introduced to manage this issue. One approach is to target the symptoms and biological factors that cause depression. The outside environment of any person, along with intensity of circumstances and incidents play a crucial role in determining mental health. It is necessary to investigate how an

Cyranowski, J. M., et al. (2000) explains that by the age of 15 females are twice as likely to have experienced depression compared to their male counterparts. Puberty is a key stage of life where the transition can promote depressive tendencies for at risk females. The physical, psychological and biological changes in puberty can be perceived as negative for these young females. The timing of puberty in females can create risk factors for depression due to females comparing themselves to others who are at different stages. This part relates directly to the physical aspect of puberty where females gain breasts and gain body fat. These physical changes can be taxing on a female's psychological state as weight and self-esteem are constant issues

Depression is one of the most common mental disorders in the entire world. In the United States alone between 8 and 26 percent of the population meets all the criteria needed to be considered clinically depressed (Florez-Ortiz). Other studies have shown that throughout many western countries an estimated amount of about 20 percent of their population will experience an episode of clinical depression during their lifetime. (Florez-Ortiz) It is guaranteed that every individual will know someone in their life that struggles with depression, or may experience it themselves. Anxiety is named one of the most expensive disorders in the U.S. as 40 million United States residents suffer from it. (Panzarella) According to Emily Hauenstein in her article, Depression in Women, woman’s rates for depression are 7% to 15%, or 1.5 to 2 times, higher than the rates gathered in men throughout developed countries. (Hauenstein) Hormonal reasons have been discussed for a possible reasoning behind this, but could society’s standards

Depression can affect women of all ages. Depression can come with a wide range of symptoms, and it can lead to serious consequences. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention lists some of the symptoms of depression “A low or sad mood, loss of interest in fun activities, changes in eating, sleep, and energy, problems in thinking, concentrating, and making decisions, feelings of worthlessness, shame, or guilt, thoughts that life is not worth living” (2015). These symptoms can have a wide range of effects on a woman that is of reproductive age. Many times the depression can present itself as postpartum depression. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention defines postpartum

Men and women are biologically similar in regards to the hormones and chemicals involved with depression. However socially, each gender encounters different social afflictions that can often lead them into depressive states. In this essay, we will explore the common struggles that each gender experiences and how these realities effect their contrasting developments of depression.

Howk and Bennett (2010) state that depression is affecting women’s health every year in the United States of America. The cost of depression ranges from billions of dollars in lost of productivity, time, and medical care. Women represent about two-thirds of those affected. The researchers in this study conducted experiment on the immune function and health outcomes in women with depression to a non-depressed control group. According to Psychoneuroimmunolgy theory, scores on the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) divided forty healthy Caucasian women between the ages of eighteen and sixty-five years into a depression or control group. It was reported that women with depression showed significantly more signs of illness at the time of

Depression and anxiety is vastly dominated with women as to men due to the life changing factorsin the past that women have been through (Robinson, 2006). Depression is seen as a form of mental illness that are generally suffered by women. According to (National Institute For Clinical Excellence, 2003) 1 in every 4 woman are being omitted in hospital because of depression

Depression is a disabling mental disorder that is related to mood and characterized by persistent feeling of sadness, poor sleep and suicidal ideation in severe forms. As a topical issue, emphasis is often reserved for those with evident symptoms, with little emphasis on vulnerability. For women, the nature of sex hormone production makes them particularly vulnerable as they grow older and by the age of forty five to sixty years, depressive symptoms are quite common and they are closely related to menopausal symptoms and the quality of spousal relationship. In some population, more than three quarters of women in midlife have depressive symptoms, with almost half of these women having moderate to severe symptoms. These observations may appear frightening, but they should motivate a peculiar interest in looking inwards and asking the inevitable question; am I vulnerable to depression. Every is as long as we are human, but gender plays an important role in vulnerability to depression and women are particularly vulnerable because of the sudden drop in sex hormone production with advancing age. The dominant female hormone, Estrogen is vital to the regulation of substances that control human affect such as Serotonin. After forty years, there is a huge decline in the function of the ovaries, the main site for Estrogen production. This decline represents a normal physiological aging of the ovaries as the eggs within it become exhausted. The precipitate fall in hormone levels are

Depression is one of the most common mental health problems encountered by adult men and women (Kessler, Chiu, Demler, & Walters, 2005; World Health Organisation [WHO], 2009). Affecting approximately 121 million individuals worldwide, depression is within the top five leading causes of disease and disability (WHO, 2009). Andrade et al. (2003) indicated that the prevalence of depression among adults worldwide ranged between 1.2% and 10% among 10 different countries, with seven of the ten countries clustered between the ranges of 3.5% to 5.9%. Within Australia, 12-month prevalence rates for adults (16-85 years) for a depressive episode was 4.4% and for dysthymia was 1.3%, with depressive disorders accounting for 20.4% of all mental health