The same number of men and women with bipolar disorder, but women typically have more depressive episodes and fewer episodes of mania. Also, one greater number of women suffer from a variety of rapid cycles of bipolar disorder, which can be more resistant to the treatment.
Signs Of Depression In Women
Signs Of Depression In Women
It is suspected that a variety of unique factors to the woman's life play very important role in depression. Research today focuses on understanding these factors, which include:
- factors reproductive
- hormonal
- genetic or biological
- abuse and oppression
- interpersonal factors
- certain psychological characteristics and personality.
The specific causes of depression in women are not clear, since many women who have been exposed to these factors do not suffer from depression. What is clear is that regardless of the factors contributing to it, the depression is a disease for which we have effective treatments.
The Varied Dimension Of Depression In Women
Researchers are concentrating on the following areas to study depression in women:
Adolescence
Before adolescence, there is almost no difference in the incidence of depression among children and girls. But there is a rise precipitated the incidence of depression in girls between the ages of 11 and 13 years. Arriving at age 15, women are two times more likely than males of having experienced a depression, this occurs at a time during adolescence in which roles and expectations change dramatically.
Stres during adolescence include the formation of an identity, sexuality, development, the separation of the teenager's parents, and decision-making for the first time. All of this adds to other physical, intellectual, and hormonal changes. These stressors are generally different for men, and in women may be linked to the increased incidence of depression. There are studies that show that during high school girls have higher incidence rates of depression, anxiety disorders, eating disorders, and disorders of emotional imbalance than men.
Adulthood: interpersonal relationships and roles in work
Stress in general can contribute to depression in people who are biologically predisposed to the disease. Some researchers proposed the theory that the high incidence of depression in women is not due to increased vulnerability, but in situations of stress faced by many women. These stress factors include the primary responsibilities at home and work, being a single mom, caring for children and elderly parents. He is not yet fully understood in that way, these factors specifically affect women.
Both women and men, the incidence of major depression is greater for the separated and divorced, and lower for married people, but greater for women in both cases. The quality of a marriage, however, can contribute significantly to depression. It has been shown that the lack of a relationship of intimacy and trust, in combination with marital problems serious, are related to depression in women. In fact, showed that incidence of higher depression rates in women with unhappy marriages.
Female s*xuality related events
These include the menstrual cycle, pregnancy, puerperium, infertility, menopause and, sometimes, the decision not to have children. These events cause fluctuations in mood and in some women include depression. Researchers have confirmed that the hormones affect chemicals in the brain that control emotions and moods. No specific biological mechanism that explains the action of hormones in this process is not known so far,
Many women experience some physical and behavioral changes associated with different phases of the menstrual cycle. In some women, these changes are severe, occur regularly, and include States of depression, irritability, and other emotional and physical changes. These changes, known as premenstrual syndrome or premenstrual dysphoric disorder, typically begins after ovulation and gradually intensify until menstruation begins. Scientists are exploring how the cycle of highs and lows, in the concentration of estrogen and other hormones, can affect the chemical processes of the brain related specifically with depresive disorders.
Fluctuations in mood during the postpartum period can vary from "low" passed the State of mind that occur immediately after birth, to episodes of depression serious they become severe depressions, disabling and psychotic. There are studies that suggest that women who experience severe depression after childbirth often had previous depressive episodes, although they may not have been diagnosed and the patient not receiving treatment.
Pregnancy (if desired) rarely is a contributing factor to the depression, and abortion does not increase the incidence of depression. Women who have infertility problems may experience extreme anxiety or sadness, but it has not been determined if this contributes to the increase in the incidence of depression. In addition, the stage of being a parent can be one of high risk for depression by stress and demands involved.
Menopause, in general, does not represent an increase in the risk of depression. In fact, there are studies that have shown that depression during menopause, although previously it was considered as a specific disorder, is not different from other age groups. Women more likely to suffer from depression during this stage are those with a history of previous depressive episodes.
Cultural Consideration
As for depression in general, the rate prevalent in depression among women in origin African and Hispanic is still double that of men of the same origin. There are certain factors, however, indicating that severe depression and dysthymia are probably diagnosed less frequently in African-American women and often a little more in the Hispanic women than in Caucasian women. The data of prevalence for other racial and ethnic groups is not definitive.
Symptoms may occur in a different way, and this can influence him to recognize and diagnose depression in minorities. For example, African Americans are more likely to complain of somatic symptoms, such as change of appetite and the aches and pains in the body.
In addition, the way in which people perceive symptoms of depression depends on your culture. Such factors should be considered when working with women of different ethnic backgrounds.
Victimization
There are studies that show that women who were harassed or sexually abused as children more likely to suffer from clinical depression at some point in their lives compared to those that did not have that experience. In addition, several studies show a greater incidence of depression among women who were raped in adolescence or adulthood. These observations are very important, since more women that men have been victims of sexual abuse in childhood.
Women who have been victims of other common forms of maltreatment, such as physical abuse or sexual harassment at work, may also have a higher incidence of depression. Abuse can lead to depression because low self-esteem and causes sadness, guilt, and social isolation. It is possible that there are risk factors for depression in biological and environmental, such as raising a dysfunctional family. More research is needed to understand if victimization is specifically linked to depression.
Poverty
Women and children represent the seventy-five percent of the population living in poverty in the United States. Poverty brings with it many stress factors such as isolation, uncertainty, frequent negative events and little access to support resources. Sadness and lack of enthusiasm are common among low-income people and among those who do not have social support. But investigations have not established yet whether depression is more prevalent among those who face these environmental stress factors.
Depression in the elderly
Some time ago, it was thought that women were particularly susceptible to depression when the children were leaving the House and they were facing "empty nest syndrome", feeling a profound loss of purpose and identity. However, scientific studies do not show an increase of depression in women in this stage of life.
To as in younger groups, more women than men suffer from depression in old age. Similarly, at all ages, not being married (including widowhood) is a risk factor for depression. The most important thing is that depression should not be considered as a normal consequence of the physical, social and economic problems facing seniors. In fact, there are studies showing that the majority of adults feel satisfied with their lives.
Treatment
Approximately 800,000 people are widowed each year. For the most part these people are older women, and present a picture of depressive symptoms well varied. Most don't need treatment, but those with moderate or severe sadness seem to improve when attending support groups or other psychosocial treatments. However, a third of widowed people are men or women, they have an episode of major depression in the first month after the spouse's death, and half of them remain clinically depressed for a year. These depressive disorders respond to antidepressant treatment, but it is still investigating when is the best time to begin therapy and how medicines should be combined with psychosocial treatments.Keywords :
Signs Of Depression In Women
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