| Women and Mental Health Research | | | | Anxiety disorders, which include panic disorder, |
| Mental illnesses affect women and men differently. | | | | obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), |
| Some disorders are more common in women, | | | | post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), phobias, |
| and some express themselves with different | | | | and generalized anxiety disorder, affect an |
| symptoms. Scientists are only now beginning to | | | | estimated 13.3 percent of Americans ages 18 to |
| tease apart the contribution of various biological | | | | 54 in a given year, or about 19.1 million adults in |
| and psychosocial factors to mental health and | | | | this age group. Women outnumber men in each |
| mental illness in both women and men. In addition, | | | | illness category except for OCD and social phobia, |
| researchers are currently studying the special | | | | in which both sexes have an equal likelihood of |
| problems of treatment for serious mental illness | | | | being affected. |
| during pregnancy and the postpartum period. | | | | Results from an NIMH-supported survey showed |
| Research on women's health has grown | | | | that female risk of developing PTSD following |
| substantially in the last 20 years. Today's studies | | | | trauma is twice that of males. PTSD is |
| are helping to clarify the risk and protective | | | | characterized by persistent symptoms of fear |
| factors for mental disorders in women and to | | | | that occur after experiencing events such as rape |
| improve women's mental health treatment | | | | or other criminal assault, war, child abuse, natural |
| outcome. | | | | disasters, or serious accidents. Nightmares, |
| Depressive Disorders | | | | flashbacks, numbing of emotions, depression and |
| In the U.S., nearly twice as many women (12.0 | | | | feeling angry, irritable, or distracted and being |
| percent) as men (6.6 percent) are affected by a | | | | easily startled are common. Females also are |
| depressive disorder each year.1 These figures | | | | more likely to develop long-term PTSD than |
| translate to 12.4 million women and 6.4 million men. | | | | males and have higher rates of co-occurring |
| Depressive disorders include major depression, | | | | medical and psychiatric problems than males with |
| dysthymic disorder (a less severe but more | | | | the disorder. |
| chronic form of depression), and bipolar disorder | | | | Eating Disorders |
| (manic-depressive illness). Major depression is the | | | | Females comprise the vast majority of people |
| leading cause of disease burden among females | | | | with an eating disorder?anorexia nervosa, bulimia |
| ages 5 and older worldwide. | | | | nervosa, or binge-eating disorder. In their lifetime, |
| Depressive disorders raise the risk for suicide. | | | | an estimated 0.5 to 3.7 percent of females suffer |
| Although men are four times more likely than | | | | from anorexia and an estimated 1.1 to 4.2 percent |
| women to die by suicide, women report | | | | suffer from bulimia. An estimated 2 to 5 percent |
| attempting suicide about two to three times as | | | | experience binge-eating disorder in a 6-month |
| often as men. Self-inflicted injury, including suicide, | | | | period. Eating disorders are not due to a failure of |
| ranks 9th out of the 10 leading causes of disease | | | | will or behavior; rather, they are real, treatable |
| burden for females ages 5 and older worldwide. | | | | illnesses. In addition, eating disorders often |
| Research shows that before adolescence and late | | | | co-occur with depression, substance abuse, and |
| in life, females and males experience depression | | | | anxiety disorders, and also cause serious physical |
| at about the same frequency. Because the | | | | health problems. Eating disorders call for a |
| gender difference in depression is not seen until | | | | comprehensive treatment plan involving medical |
| after puberty and decreases after menopause, | | | | care and monitoring, psychotherapy, nutritional |
| scientists hypothesize that hormonal factors are | | | | counseling, and medication management. Studies |
| involved in women's greater vulnerability. Stress | | | | are investigating the causes of eating disorders |
| due to psychosocial factors, such as multiple roles | | | | and effectiveness of treatments. |
| in the home and at work and the increased | | | | Schizophrenia |
| likelihood of women to be poor, at risk for | | | | Schizophrenia is the most chronic and disabling of |
| violence and abuse, and raising children alone, also | | | | the mental disorders, affecting about 1 percent of |
| plays a role in the development of depression. | | | | women and men worldwide. In the U.S., an |
| While many women report some history of | | | | estimated 2.2 million adults ages 18 and older, |
| premenstrual mood changes and physical | | | | about half of them women, have schizophrenia. |
| symptoms, an estimated 3 to 4 percent suffer | | | | The illness typically appears earlier in men, usually |
| severe symptoms that significantly interfere with | | | | in their late teens or early 20s, than in women, |
| work and social functioning. This impairing form of | | | | who are generally affected in their 20s or early |
| premenstrual syndrome, also called Premenstrual | | | | 30s. In addition, women may have more |
| Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD), appears to be an | | | | depressive symptoms, paranoia, and auditory |
| abnormal response to normal hormone changes. | | | | hallucinations than men and tend to respond |
| Researchers are studying what makes some | | | | better to typical antipsychotic medications. A |
| women susceptible to PMDD, including differences | | | | significant proportion of women with schizophrenia |
| in hormone sensitivity, history of other mood | | | | experience increased symptoms during pregnancy |
| disorders, and individual differences in the function | | | | and postpartum. |
| of brain chemical messenger systems. | | | | Alzheimer's Disease |
| Antidepressant medications known to work via | | | | The main risk factor for developing Alzheimer's |
| serotonin circuits are effective in relieving the | | | | disease (AD), a dementing brain disorder that |
| premenstrual symptoms. Women with | | | | leads to the loss of mental and physical |
| susceptibility to depression may be more | | | | functioning and eventually to death, is increased |
| vulnerable to the mood-shifting effects of | | | | age. Studies have shown that while the number |
| hormones. | | | | of new cases of AD is similar in older adult |
| Postpartum depression is a serious disorder where | | | | women and men, the total number of existing |
| the hormonal changes following childbirth combined | | | | cases is somewhat higher among women. Possible |
| with psychosocial stresses such as sleep | | | | explanations include that AD may progress more |
| deprivation may disable some women with an | | | | slowly in women than in men; that women with |
| apparent underlying vulnerability. NIMH research is | | | | AD may survive longer than men with AD; and |
| evaluating the use of antidepressant medication | | | | that men, in general, do not live as long as |
| and psychosocial interventions following delivery to | | | | women and die of other causes before AD has a |
| prevent postpartum depression in women with a | | | | chance to develop. Research is being conducted |
| history of this disorder. | | | | to find ways to prevent the onset of AD and to |
| NIMH researchers recently found that women | | | | slow its progression. |
| who suffer depression as they enter the early | | | | Caregivers of a person with AD are usually family |
| stages of menopause (perimenopause) may find | | | | members. Often wives and daughters. The |
| estrogen to be an alternative to traditional | | | | chronic stress often associated with the |
| antidepressants. The efficacy of the female | | | | care-giving role can contribute to mental health |
| hormone was comparable to that usually reported | | | | problems; indeed, caregivers are much more likely |
| with antidepressants in the first controlled study | | | | to suffer from depression than the average |
| of its direct effects on mood in perimenopausal | | | | person is. Since women in general are at greater |
| women meeting standardized criteria for | | | | risk for depression than men are, female |
| depression. | | | | caregivers of people with AD may be particularly |
| Anxiety Disorders | | | | vulnerable to depression. |