Women's Mental Health

Contrary to popular belief, clinical depression is not a "normal part of being a woman" nor is it a "female weakness." Depressive illnesses are serious medical illnesses that affect more than 19 million American adults age 18 and over each year. Depression is a treatable medical illness that can occur in any woman, at any time, and for various reasons regardless of age, race or income.

Prevalence

Approximately 12 million women in the United States experience clinical depression each year.

About one in every eight women can expect to develop clinical depression during their lifetime.

Depression occurs most frequently in women aged 25 to 44.

Contributing Factors
Many factors in women may contribute to depression, such as developmental, reproductive, hormonal, genetic and other biological differences (e.g. premenstrual syndrome, childbirth, infertility and menopause).

Social factors may also lead to higher rates of clinical depression among women, including stress from work, family responsibilities, the roles and expectations of women and increased rates of sexual abuse and poverty.

Gender Differences
Women experience depression at roughly twice the rate of men. Girls 14-18 years of age have consistently higher rates of depression than boys in this age group.

PMS/PMDD

Twenty to forty percent of women may experience premenstrual syndrome and an estimated 3 to 5 percent have symptoms severe enough to be classified as Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD). For more information on this disorder, go to www.pmdd.com.

Marriage/Childbirth
Married people have a lower rate of depression than those living alone. However, unhappily married people have the highest rates of depression; happily married men have the lowest rates.

Approximately 10%-15% of all new mothers get postpartum depression, which most frequently occurs within the first year after the birth of a child.

Co-occurring Illnesses
Research shows a strong relationship between eating disorders (anorexia and bulimia nervosa) and depression in women. About 90-95% of cases of anorexia occur in young females. Reported rates of bulimia nervosa vary from one to three out of 100 people.

Research shows that one out of three depressed people also suffers from some form of substance abuse or dependence.

Suicide
Although men are more likely than women to die by suicide, women report attempting suicide approximately twice as often as men. An estimated 15 percent of people hospitalized for depression eventually take their own lives.

Treatment
Depression in women is misdiagnosed approximately 30 to 50 percent of the time. Fewer than half of the women who experience clinical depression will ever seek care.
Fortunately, clinical depression is a very treatable illness. More than 80 percent of people with depression can be treated successfully with medication, psychotherapy or a combination of both.

Women’s Attitudes Toward Depression:
According to a National Mental Health Association survey on public attitudes and beliefs about clinical depression:

• More than one-half of women believe it is "normal" for a woman to be depressed during menopause and that treatment is not necessary.
• More than one-half of women believe depression is a "normal part of aging."
• More than one-half believe it is normal for a mother to feel depressed for at least two weeks after giving birth.
• More than one-half of women cited denial as a barrier to treatment while 41% of women surveyed cited embarrassment or shame as barriers to treatment.
• In general, over one-half of the women said they think they "know" more about depression than men do.

For more information, see Depression under Disorders.

The Sandwich Generation

Do you feel "sandwiched" in between caring for your aging parents and your children? You are not alone. Thousands of Americans face the same situation each day. Caring for an aging parent and raising a child are very stressful tasks when they are done separately, but what if you are doing both at the same time? Many times "sandwiched" caregivers do not pay enough attention to their own mental health. Here are some warning signs that you need to take better care of yourself.

• You cry frequently
• You have given up your hobbies
• You have given up your time with friends
• You become angry over small things
• You have gained or lost more than five pounds in the past few months without trying
• You are exhausted all the time
• You visit the doctor more frequently than before

If you are experiencing these symptoms and have been feeling persistently helpless or hopeless most every day for two weeks, you may be experiencing clinical depression. See your doctor for more information.

Take care of yourself! If you don’t take care of you, you can’t take care of anyone else. These tips can help you take better care of yourself.

1. Consider joining a support group.
2. Ask other people for help
3. Take a break!
4. Rest and relax
5. Eat Well
6. Laugh
7. Exercise
8. Reward yourself for a job well done.
   

Call our Aging Services staff at 615-269-5355 for more information on "The Sandwich Generation" and caring for your aging parents.

For additional resources on depression, please see support groups or call 615/269-5355.