Women and Depression
Depression in women is quite common. In America alone 19 million women suffer from depression or in other words one out of every ten women has a bout of depression. Women are twice as likely to go into depression in comparison to men. Depression in women knows no race, age, nationality, class or education.
Symptoms of depression:
Experiencing one or more of the below mentioned symptoms for at least two weeks at a stretch indicates depression.
- Sorrow
- Guilt or anger
- Feelings of worthlessness
- Changes in sleep and diet patterns
- Lack of concentration
- Fatigue
- Lack of concentration.
Causes of depression
Causes for depression are many.
General causes for depression may be chemical imbalances that make it difficult for the brain cells to communicate with one another. Women are more prone to depression if one of their family member or closely related adult suffers depression. This gives rise to the belief that depression might be heredity.
Biological causes leading women to depression could be premenstrual syndrome (that sets in a week before menstruation), postpartum depression and at times birth control pills also induce depression in some women. Post partum depression has to be immediately treated for unhappy mothers fail to give their off springs the requisite love and attention they deserve for a healthy growth. Depressed mothers tend to raise depressed children. “Hormonal influence, in particular disturbances in the interaction between the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis, the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, and neurotransmitters such as serotonin” could be some of the causes for depression in women that are being researched.
Personal reasons like caring for aged parents, the empty nest syndrome, divorce or death in family seem to affect women more. Eighty percent of depression is a response to some stressful event in life and women are three times more likely than men to go into stress related depression. And, if their child faces a major disaster then women are five times more likely to go into depression than men. Unhappy marriage is an important cause for depression and many of the depressed women are into abusive relationship. Sexual abuse is another cause for depression and majority of the abused women suffer depression.
Social causes: 75% of the people below poverty line are women and children. Poverty causes depression among women for in such conditions women experience uncontrollable circumstances.
Treatment for depression
Depression has to be combated using a combination of methods that include medication, meditation, exercise, counseling and a healthy diet. Antidepressants fail to produce results in 30-35% of the depressed women. Women have the habit of thinking of the past negative experiences in life. The cause and consequences of past unhappy events are deeply analyzed. Counseling helps get over this indulgence. Marital and family therapies are another way of treating depression related to personal causes. Such therapies prevent the recurrence of depression.
Educating the public and creating awareness about depression in women is important. Knowledge helps people identify symptoms when they encounter in family or friends circle. Remedial measures help save the situation.