Women and Depression

Running Head : Women and Depression

Women and Depression

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All human beings feel temporarily sad and blue at various times in their lives most people bounce back quickly and resume their usual demeanor . An intermittent , temporary sadness is not a of clinical depression . However , an alarming trend has been surfacing over the last two generations

Growing numbers of people in the United States and indeed around the world are increasingly becoming depressed , and the rates of depression are much higher in women Studies using case records

as well as community surveys have found women to be at higher risk , and the difference in risk holds true for white , black , and Hispanic women and across occupations , income , and education levels

Depression in women is a complex phenomenon

A task force of the American Psychological Association in 1990 depicted increased depression in women over men linked to several social factors including

1 . Avoidant , unreceptive , dependent behavior patterns distrustful negative cognitive styles and focusing too much on depressed feelings instead of action and mastery strategies

2 . High rates of sexual abuse in childhood so that depressive symptoms might be long-lasting symptoms of "post- traumatic stress syndrome " for many women

3 . The burdens of marriage and childrearing , which fall much more greatly on women

4 . Poverty , in which women and children are vastly over-represented (Breggin , 1991 , pp . 319-320

In the United States depression in women is one of the most pressing health problems of the 1990s and is projected to continue into the 21st century . One fourth of all women have a depressive dis during their lifetime . There are currently 7 million U .S . women with a diagnosable depression , but many will not receive help for the following reasons cost of treatment , lack of access to clinical services , stigma associated with receiving help , unavailability of social support , or immobilization caused by the depression , which reinforces helplessness There are great numbers of women whose depressions go undiagnosed Community surveys have provided evidence that untreated depression is prevalent among women of all ages . Depression in women is misdiagnosed 30 to 50 of the time (Christine Ann Heifner , 1996

Depression is a mood dis that can be seriously incapacitating . The experience is one of sadness and lethargy . Classic symptoms include weight loss or gain , insomnia or hypersomnia , low self-esteem difficulty concentrating , and slowed physical movement or increased agitation . Clients may complain of aches and pains throughout the body Lack of interest in activities that formerly gave them pleasure (anhedonia ) is evident in fact , a general "I don 't care anymore attitude may prevail . Women have told us that they feel worthless and guilty , and they often reproach themselves . Thoughts of death or plans to attempt suicide may result from the pervasive hopelessness

Depression is not solely an either /or phenomenon but is rather a continuous variable consisting of a broad range of symptoms . Although many readers may be familiar with the s of depressive diss that follow , we include them for the benefit...