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Contrary to popular belief, clinical depression is not a
“normal part of being a woman” nor is it a
“female weakness.” Depressive illnesses are serious
medical illnesses that affect more than 19 million American adults
age 18 and over each year. Depression is a treatable medical
illness that can occur in any woman, at any time, and for various
reasons regardless of age, race or income.
Prevalence
- Approximately 12 million women in the United States experience
clinical depression each year.
- About one in every eight women can expect to develop clinical
depression during their lifetime.2
- Depression occurs most frequently in women aged 25 to 44.
Contributing Factors
- Many factors in women may contribute to depression, such as
developmental, reproductive, hormonal, genetic and other biological
differences (e.g. premenstrual syndrome, childbirth, infertility
and menopause).
- Social factors may also lead to higher rates of clinical
depression among women, including stress from work, family
responsibilities, the roles and expectations of women and increased
rates of sexual abuse and poverty.
Gender Differences
- Women experience depression at roughly twice the rate of
men.
- Girls 14-18 years of age have consistently higher rates of
depression than boys in this age group.
PMS/PMDD
- Twenty to forty percent of women may experience premenstrual
syndrome and an estimated 3 to 5 percent have symptoms severe
enough to be classified as Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder
(PMDD).
Marriage/Childbirth
- Married people have a lower rate of depression than those
living alone. However, unhappily married people have the highest
rates of depression; happily married men have the lowest
rates.
- Approximately 10%-15% of all new mothers get postpartum
depression, which most frequently occurs within the first year
after the birth of a child.
Co-occurring Illnesses
- Research shows a strong relationship between eating disorders
(anorexia and bulimia nervosa) and depression in women. About
90-95% of cases of anorexia occur in young females. Reported rates
of bulimia nervosa vary from one to three out of 100 people.
- Research shows that one out of three depressed people also
suffers from some form of substance abuse or dependence.
Suicide
- Although men are more likely than women to die by suicide,
women report attempting suicide approximately twice as often as
men.
- An estimated 15 percent of people hospitalized for depression
eventually take their own lives.
Treatment
- Depression in women is misdiagnosed approximately 30 to 50
percent of the time.
- Fewer than half of the women who experience clinical depression
will ever seek care.
Fortunately, clinical depression is a very treatable illness.
More than 80 percent of people with depression can be treated
successfully with medication, psychotherapy or a combination of
both.
Women’s Attitudes Toward
Depression:
According to a National Mental Health Association survey on
public attitudes and beliefs about clinical depression:
- More than one-half of women believe it is “normal”
for a woman to be depressed during menopause and that treatment is
not necessary.
- More than one-half of women believe depression is a
“normal part of aging.”
- More than one-half believe it is normal for a mother to feel
depressed for at least two weeks after giving birth.
- More than one-half of women cited denial as a barrier to
treatment while 41% of women surveyed cited embarrassment or shame
as barriers to treatment.
- In general, over one-half of the women said they think they
“know” more about depression than men do.
For additional resources, please call 1-800-969-NMHA.
NMHA's Campaign for America's
Mental Health works to raise awareness that mental illnesses
are common, real and treatable illnesses and ensure that those most
at-risk receive proper, timely and effective treatment.
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