subject: Depression In Women [print this page] Women are more prone to fall prey to depression than men and the reasons for depression among men and women can be quite different in nature. As men and women operate in very different social contexts it is very natural for them to develop different personality traits and emotional dispositions. Due to this reason their methods for coping with and responding to stress factors in their lives, can be very different. The depression signs in women are usually different from that of men's.
During the present times women are increasingly stepping out of the house to work but the task of running the house and rearing the children is also largely handled by women.
Having to tackle with so many responsibilities has increased the stress levels among women. Additionally there are issues peculiar to women like maternity, gender roles, menopause, lack of family and social support systems, that the women have to deal with. Owing to so many high pressure zones around them women often times slip into depression.
Once depression takes over a woman you can see the signs clearly. She will lose interest in many activities that she earlier took pleasure in. More and more she will be overcome by feelings of worthlessness and guilt and give in to bouts of crying and self-pity. There may be a major change in the sleeping patterns- she may either sleep much more than before or keep awake entire nights. Similarly there may be changes in food patterns too. All these changes will eventually lead to a depletion of energy and the woman may complain of fatigue and loss of vitality. In extreme cases the woman may have feelings of ending her life.
The biological causes of depression in women very often can become serious. Pregnancy and infertility, pre-menstrual problems, pre and post-partum depression, all cause hormonal fluctuations in the female body giving rise to depression and these can very well be treated with medication.
The social causes of depression like gender inequality, balancing work and home, dissatisfaction in relationships, sexual abuse etc require an understanding partner, family, friends and colleagues, who can play a major role in helping a women in dealing with depression.
During depression a woman is very likely to give into analyzing the why' and how' of it. She may also talk continuously about it to friends and family but it had been noted that talking and analyzing does not improve but makes the depression worse.
