Gender and Depression

Depression is a psychologically distressing condition that causes a lot of mental anguish and suffering for the patients. For a period of two weeks or more, patients suffer from low moods that lead to loss of mental functioning and ability for normal physical activities. A major cause of depression is distressing events in life shown in a panic disorder diagnosis for example. Depression in men and women does not differentiate on the basis of age, ethnicity, race, economic status and gender.

Gender And Depression – What Is The Connection

Researchers have not been able to fully understand the reasons behind depression affecting women more than men. There are various explanations and speculations that include social, psychological and biological factors. Biologically, hormone levels in women tend to change a lot before their menstrual period, at the onset of menopause and during the period just after childbirth. This could be a major cause for increased rate of depression in women. Men are found to be hormonally stable throughout their lives and are therefore at a lesser risk of becoming depressed. This is however a theory and there is not enough evidence to support the same.

Adolescent Girls And Boys Are At Equal Risk

Interestingly, though adult women are more prone to depression than men, adolescent girls and boys are equally susceptible to falling into this mental condition. At this stage, there seems to be no relation between gender and depression. During the college years, girls and boys are at equal risk and by this time an herbal therapy for depression is suggested. Several theories have been suggested for this occurrence. There is a notable exception in the college population though as compared to adult males, college going girls and boys are found to experience twice the depression.

As compared to high school environment and later during their adult lives, women in college experience fewer negative events. A more eglatarian sex role status is provided by the college campus social institution for men and women and a stage is set where the chances of depression in women and men are almost equal. As compared to high school, men in college are seen to experience more negative events. This in turn leads to an increased depression in men. During their college years, women have a stronger support network.

Adult Women Are More Susceptible To Stress

During their adult years, psychologists studying gender and depression find that women are susceptible to stress more than men. This means that any stressful event in their lives triggers depression in women more than in men.

Coping strategies are also found to be a cause for the gender differences. In response to a certain stressful event, men are found to adopt more effective coping strategies as compared to women. This leads to a lesser occurrence of depression in men as compared to women. Women are found to focus on their negative feelings for a longer time than men. Men tend to distract themselves from the stressful situation more easily than women. They are in other words, better able to handle stress and get away from the event mentally while women continue to hang on to unpleasant memories more.