Gender Effects On Depression

Gender also plays a role as depression and its symptoms have been observed in women more than in men particularly beginning from adolescence until their mid-fifties (CITE 5). It can also occur in conjunction with other illnesses such as cancer, Parkinson’s disease, Multiple Sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease and heart disease (CITE-2). Lastly the mental disorder can also be triggered by tough life events endured by an individual for instance passing of a loved one, relationship or financial hardships can contribute

Suicide was seen as a just way to die if one was faced with unendurable suffering - be it physical or emotional”. Throughout time, suicide has been viewed and dealt with in countless ways. Recently in America, the problem has grown increasingly. In the past decade, suicide rates have been on the incline; especially among men. According to the New York Times (2013), “From 1999 to 2010, the suicide rate among Americans ages 35 to 64 rose by nearly 30 percent… The suicide rate for middle-aged men was 27.3 deaths per 100,000, while for women it was 8.1 deaths per 100,000”. A 30 percent increase with an average of 19 more male suicides than female suicides is certainly an issue for both genders, and an epidemic for men. The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (n.d.), found that in 2010, 38,364 suicides were reported, with 78.9% being men. The economic recession, unemployment, and various other factors are speculated to be responsible for this incline in male suicide. As of 2010, an estimated 30,308 men ended their own lives, and it seems as if there is a great risk of that number increasing each year.

However, research has shown that men are less likely than women to seek-help for mental health problems, including depression, anxiety, mood disorders and emotional difficulties (Padesky&Hammen, 1981; Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2007). The Australian Bureau of Statistics in 2007 has reported that “at some point in their lives one in five men experience anxiety and one in eight will have depression, whereas for women one

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 8% of persons over the age of twelve reports being currently depressed, this includes 6% of the male population (2014). This literature also reports males aged forty to fifty-nine having higher rates of depression (7%), when compared to males sixty years or older (5%) (2014). In 2010 there were 63.3 million visits to primary care physicians, hospital outpatient units and emergency rooms attributed to mental health diagnosis (CDC, 2014). In the same year, there were 395,000 psychiatric inpatient discharges with major depressive disorder as the primary diagnosis. These individuals had an average stay of six and a half days (CDC, 2014). Inpatient and outpatient treatment is seemingly a revolving door. One article examines the growing number of people being diagnosed with depression, yet the declining number of people seeking outpatient care. This article reports 2.88 out of 100 people seek outpatient treatment for their depression (ScienceDaily, 2010). It is imperative for practitioners of group practice to understand that men and women experience depression differently and to then formulate treatment based on the individual’s unique needs (NIH, 2014).

Studies have shown that men have searched for help with depression just as well as women. However, it’s less likely for men to seek help because women are more vulnerable to depression. From younger years’ boys are taught to avoid revealing their emotions because it might threaten their social rank and their sense of identity. Men have the idea if they ask for any type of help they will lose their masculine touch. Men are more likely to help others rather than help themselves.

The female population makes up the other half of the entire human race, how depression affects them should not be glazed over. He touches on the topic very briefly, and makes valid points but not enough to capture all of the knowledge. “And urban North American women, the most affluent demographic of the study, were the most likely to experience depression” (Junger, 20). While he does touch on the topic, this is one of the few quotes that focuses on women and depression in North America, not even regarding that this applies to women in most societies as well. Kastrup wrote an article called Cultural Aspects of Depression: “It is well documented that women run a greater risk in most cultures: overall, women have a 1.5-2 times greater risk of suffering from depression compared with men. In the Cross-National Collaborative Group, women in all countries had a higher prevalence with a female:male ratio varying from 1.6 in Lebanon to 3.1 in West Germany.” Again, Junger did include a brief mention of women, but narrowed it down to North American women, when it clearly expands to other

Women are diagnosed with depression twice as much as men. Often stereotyped as being more emotional than men, women are thus more vulnerable to depression. Emotions are taught and influenced and develop early on in life. The definition of depression varies with common factors in all being consist of time, severity of the emotion being felt/expressed along with consistency. A valid definition of depression would be: a feeling of hopelessness and/or sadness or little self worth. This is shown with a lack of interest in everyday activities and/or relationships and is consistent for several or more weeks. There have also been studies done of seasonal depression in certain areas.

The connection between gender and psychological disorders seems to be hard to ignore and yet today we still lack the distinct research and treatment necessary to resolve the epidemic of psychological disorders in women. Women are twice as likely to suffer from anxiety disorders than men, a study showed 10% of mothers obtain a mental health problem during motherhood while only 6% of fathers experience these issues (“Mental Health Statistics: Men and Women.") and women predominate over men in rates of major depression (Astbury, Cabral). The gap in between men and women experiencing these mental health problems seems to be clear but we have to ask ourselves, why? We often associate mental health issues with individual

Depression is not experienced in the same manner and to the same extent by all age groups and sexes. It is a well known fact that women experience depression more than men. This is true regardless of economic status, racial and ethnic background. There are many factors responsible for this difference in the experience of depression. Research has shown that hormonal, biological, life cycle and psychological factors are mainly responsible for the higher rate of depression in women as compared to men. Research has also shown that the chemical processes of the brain, that control mood and emotions, are directly affected by hormones. The hormone secretions in women vary according to life cycles and periodical physical changes that women experience.

The article that I read was called “Depression, and Women.” This article by Doctor Terri Apter describes the connection between women and depression. Doctor Apter goes over certain things pertaining to the topic that she discovered when she was researching it. Apter even spoke about the writer Allison Pearson and her novel about a character with depression. Later on in the article, Apter compared one of the lines in the book to the symptoms of depression. Those symptoms were lack of energy and a feeling of emptiness. She also used statistics from the National Institute of Mental Health, or the NIMH, to back up her statement, which was that women are more likely to experience depression within their lives. Considering the article is about depression,

Another implication of this is that researchers may be less inclined to study depression in women based on the the strength of these gender stereotypes and how often they are repeated because they may simply begin to believe that this is merely a biological trait of all women, leaving no chance for this stereotype to be ceased. This may also deny women of other treatment options, such as effective medication, that may only be beneficial to women, as men are mostly exclusively studied. Studies also show that women are more affected by negative feedback, so therefore, may be more devastated when diagnosed, as they may review this as a reflection of their own self-worth and abilities. This may thus, strengthen and only further their depressive symptoms, and they may in fact be less inclined to seek treatment or be hopeful and optimistic that any treatment will be

On the other hand, according to the American Counseling Association Publication (2015) Clinical Depression has some pros about that specific topic. One pro the article mention is about the anti-depression medication. Anti-depression medication has some unpleasant side effects such as weight gain and suicidal thoughts. With that being said it is best to advise your counselor about the side effects that are occurring. As a result, the counselors then will prescribe a different anti-depression that will help with the process of overcoming depression. Another con is that woman's are reported to have a higher presentence of Depression than Men's do in every age groups. The reason women are reported to have a higher presentence than men's is because

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.

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

If people tend not to do anything about Depression then it become as a constant in a person’s life. Being depressed is not a great feeling , for a person that has intense stages it becomes a disease that is life threatening . It begins acute in many situation’s then it becomes a chronic disease. “Every 62 minutes at least one person dies as a direct result from an eating disorder”(Kessler 1). Depression is half of how many people that dies every 62 minutes. There are a difference in Eating Disorders in women and men. 6 million women are more as likely to be affected as men. Women has a higher percentage as Eating Disorders than men. Why? Because women are more effectively than men are with their image. Thats a result of everyone, they look as they self as not having with the other person has and that where Depression and low-self esteem steps in. When Kessler says that “every 62 minutes at least one person dies as a direct result of an Eating Disorder” you think that actually happens because it does. People think that it's just a diseased that you can break but before you even know it that person in that