Women are More Likely to be Clinically Depressed than Men: A Critical Review and Synthesis
The question of whether women are more likely to be clinically depressed than are their male counterparts first requires a clinical definition of what it means to be depressed. Depression, from a clinician's viewpoint, is much more than having a bad day. It is a sustained period of a disturbance in mood, marked by profound changes in sleep, eating, and feelings of low self-worth. ("Depression in Women: Information from your family doctor, 2002, The American Family Physician) But although one should not dismiss depression as merely "the blues," one should also not negate its commonness. Depression remains one of the most frequently diagnosed mental illnesses in America today. "Depression is so prevalent that it has been referred to as the 'common cold' of mental illness." (Furman & Bender, 2003) This poses an interesting question-why do women seem more likely to catch this common psychological cold than their male counterparts, and is this truly the case, or merely a case of misrepresentation by statisics?Pro: The argument for a greater prevalance of depression in women than in men.In the general United States population, 8-12 percent of men and 20-24 percent of women are deemed to meet the diagnostic crite
A study from Virginia Commonwealth University showed that heredity seems to be responsible for 42 percent of a woman's risk for depression, compared to just 29 percent in men. (Furman & Bender, 2003) Also, while demands and pressures of everyday life are stressful for both men and women, "gender can also play a key role. (Hynes, 2005) Although the sexes are undeniably 'different' hormonally, men may simply not be able to articulate their feelings of sadness like women are capable of so these feelings can be heard-women's brains seem to be wired for a higher degree of language processing and that this disconnect with men may be responsible for some of the miscommunication that often occurs between partners. " ("Depression in Women: Information from your family doctor, 2002, The American Family Physician) Additionally, while four times as many men as women die by suicide, women attempt suicide two to three times as often as men. (Hynes, 2005) Men may 'feel' depression physically differently than women, and there may be different physical stresses for male depression that researchers are not yet aware of at present. Women still feel torn apart by demands at work and school, and the need to justify raises and promotions by a perfect performance, compared with their male counterparts. Depression is more common a week before a woman's period and in the weeks after a woman gives birth (this is called postpartum depression. Depression is largely caused by irrational beliefs that lead to the experience of worthlessness, such as a self-fulfilling phrophesy of failure. Older men, African Americans and Latinos with clinical depression reported significantly lower rates of correct diagnosis and treatment than other participants surveyed in a national study led by UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute researchers. Sociologists call this type of thinking a "mark of oppression" because it reflects quite often the psychological damage created by experiences of oppression. "Up to 15 percent more women than men reported that teaching and students were sources of stress. The fact that so many women experience premenstrual and postpartum depression during their reproductive lives would, in and of itself, increase the statistical likelihood of women suffering from depression. However, men may lash out at society, rather than internalizing their negative feelings. ria for major depression by a professional clinician. For example, the incidence for all types of depression within the Amish community is less than 1 percent, regardless of gender, and incidence rates for depression range from as low as 1.
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