Depression And Women

Depression And Women

Both men and women suffer from depression, but studies have shown that women suffer from depression twice as much as men do. Over the decades, many things have been blamed on a woman's biological function, and a great deal of research has been put into this.

While a woman's biological function does play a role in depression, other factors come into play as well. Several decades ago, women had very little control over their lives. It was standard that the man of the house -- whether that was a woman's father, husband, or a grown son -- made the decisions and had all of the control.

This lack of control can lead to depression -- in men and women -- but since it was women who were the ones without any control, it was more often they that had to deal with the depression that this causes. Today, however, women are more in control, and yet there are still factors that affect them, as much as men, that lead to depression, such as relationship problems, the loss of a loved one, and financial changes.

Furthermore, society shows us images of what women are "expected" to be, and these are things that few women in the world can live up to. This in turn affects the self-esteem, which in turn can lead to depression. Women see men's reactions to those unrealistic images, and think that this is what they are supposed to be.

Women who were children in the sixties are in a real quandary today. Then, the world was changing for women -- but those women were raised in homes where the old standards still applied, and then tossed into a world where all of the rules, standards, and social expectations had changed. This has contributed to even more self-esteem issues. The question "Who am I, and who am I supposed to be?" becomes very hard to answer.

So, yes, women do suffer from depression more often than men, and while hormones do play a role, there are many other aspects of life that also contribute to depression for women -- so never assume that a woman is just suffering from PMS, and that everything will be better in a few days!