Women’s Mental Health

Mental disorders can affect anyone. But it affects men and women differently. Some disorders are more common in one sex than the other. Certain disorders are unique to women experiencing hormone changes such as perinatal depression, premenstrual dysphoric disorder, and perimenopause-related depression. Some conditions are the same across genders, such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. But even when the condition is the same, certain symptoms may be more common in one sex than the other, and the course of the illness can be affected by one’s sex.

The US Department of Health & Human Services provides good information for women through their Office on Women’s Health. (womenshealth.gov) In the past year, more than 1 in 5 women in the US experienced a mental health condition such as depression or anxiety. In fact, women are more than twice as likely to experience an anxiety or depressive disorder in their lifetime. Not surprising is the fact that depression is more common in women whose families live below the federal poverty line.

Some people who experience mental illness turn to substances to cope and those substances can affect your mental health. Men are more likely than women to misuse alcohol, but women are more likely to have harmful effects from it. Women absorb more alcohol pound for pound than men, and it takes longer for women’s bodies to digest alcohol. Women who abuse alcohol more may develop liver inflammation and die from cirrhosis more often than men. Alcohol can cause different types of cancer, including breast cancer. Women tend to abuse prescription drugs for different reasons than men do. They report higher rates of chronic pain and are more likely to be prescribed pain medicines than men. Women might misuse prescription drugs to lose weight and fight fatigue.

It is difficult for women to feel confident about their looks in this society. Body Dysmorphic Disorder is a serious illness in which a person is overly worried about minor or imaginary physical flaws. This condition is more common in women and usually starts in the teen years.

Eating disorders include anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating. People with eating disorders eat too little or too much. These disorders affect more girls and women than boys and men.

What contributes to women’s mental health conditions? Abuse, whether physical, emotional, verbal, or sexual, can have long-term effects on your mental health, especially if you have not received any support. Women are more likely to live in poverty than men. Concerns for personal safety can lead to social isolation. Women are exposed to more sexual violence than men.

Women do have, however, some protective factors that can alleviate mental disorders. Women tend to have better social networks than men and find it easier to confide in their friends. Women are more likely to seek help.

Therapist Emma Shearer, theeverygirl.com, lists the eight most common reasons women seek therapy. These are depression and anxiety, difficult transitions, relationship struggles, addiction, mood instability, eating disorders, grief, and personal growth.

Whether you are deeply unhappy or if you are seeking personal growth, there is help available.