Why Are More Women Diagnosed with Depression Twice as Often as Men - Essay Example

ISSUES OF HUMAN PSYCHOLOGY: Why are More Women Diagnosed with Depression Twice as Often as Men Introduction Depression. Some may think that depression simply refers to loneliness; however through researchers that have been used to take considerable explanations as to why and how people fall in the depressive state, depression is more than just the feel of loneliness. Depression rather suggests a more serious state of feeling down, that if not treated well, might even lead to serious illnesses. Certainly, this is the primary reason why it is very important to consider depression as a serious illness that needs to be seriously treated with professional or psychological approach. THE symptoms may not seem overly serious at first. Perhaps a person suffers from fatigue, stomach cramps or chest pains. He may find himself waking up at wee hours of the morning for no apparent reason; or the trouble may be difficulty in getting to sleep. Possibly a change in appetite has led to weight loss; or maybe the problem is overweight due to a sudden splurge of eating. Fatigue, physical pains and change in eating or sleeping habits can constitute what doctors call the somatic mask of depression.(McClelland, 2008, 64) What is depression Why does it afflict people Everyone feels 'down in the dumps' on certain occasions. This should not cause alarm, for off days of this type are not what doctors mean when they speak of depression. According to studies, humans when they are afflicted with depression usually loose their essence and realization for the real reasons of living. It could be observed that many among the depressed ones are subjected to situations of failure, feeling of helplessness and the lost of physical energy to face life and enjoy life at the same time. (Amunts, 2008, 15) Loosing these particular elements in life, some depressed individuals resort to suicide simply to end the agony that they are experiencing. A depressed person finds it difficult to perform even the most routine tasks, such as getting dressed, brushing teeth, preparing breakfast and making routine decisions. The third level, where no one can doubt that you're dealing with depression says Yomasue (2008) "is when somebody literally sits in a corner-almost paralyzed-looking into space." (13) Doctors often speak of depression as either acute or chronic. (Wang, 2007, 65) Acute depression sets in from some external cause, such as the death of a loved one, divorce or some other severe loss. Depending on the seriousness of the cause, acute depression may last weeks or even months; but then it disappears. On the other hand, in chronic cases the crippling effects of depression persist month after month. (Amunts, 2008, 54) Another type of sufferer is the manic-depressive. This person seesaws between a "manic" (from manikos, Greek for "mad") state and one of depression. During a manic state, the individual becomes overactive, impulsive, often disorderly in speech and thinking.(Croissant, 2008, 34) Then follows a "normal" period, after which he plunges into depression. Some remain in the manic state most of the time, with only brief low periods. Others are just the opposite, remaining depressed most of the time. And there are those who, for the most part, remain on an even keel except for brief ups and downs.(Liu, 2008, 54) In this study, an understanding of the major issues concerning gender differences on depression occurrences among individuals shall be discussed carefully so as to understand or at least clarify the issues on the claim that women are actually experiencing depression twice as much as men. Explaining the key reasons for this particular matter is the focus of this particular literature-based understanding. Some Common Causes of Depression How widespread is serious depression According to Dr. Nathan S. Kline of the New York State Department of Mental Hygiene, "it has been estimated that 15 per cent of the adult population of the United States has some degree of depression which is serious enough to be in need of treatment.(Yomasue, 2008, 35) This amounts to about 20 million people, which makes it not only the most frequent psychological disorder but also one of the most common of all serious medical conditions."(Yomasue, 2008, 35) Depression is so widespread that it has been called "the common cold of mental disturbances."(Yomasue, 2008, 35) Studies report that women outstrip men in suffering from depression by a ratio of about 2 to 1, though some claim that this is because women are more willing to admit that they are depressed.(Marten, et al, 2008, 42) Depression afflicts all races and every social and economic level. While the malady is most common between the ages of sixty and seventy, it strikes all age groups and has been rising among persons in their twenties. Why do so many millions of persons suffer from depression Much study has gone into uncovering the root causes of mental depression. Flaws in human society constitute one main source of the problem. Sometimes depression results when a person reaches a "plateau" in his life after many years of painstaking labor. (Liu, 2008, 37) A hard-driving business executive may finally achieve the top position in his company, only to realize that he no longer has a goal in life. Housewives in their forties and fifties often suffer from what psychiatrists call "empty nest syndrome." (Amunts, 2008, 43) By this time their children usually have grown up, their husbands are at work for most of each day and they must face lonely hours in houses devoid of people. What about the feelings of inferiority that often accompany depression Here too the responsibility may rest with human society. How so Because it is often at a tender age that children are made to feel unattractive. Their peers may ridicule them if they are unable to do what the majority considers the "in" thing. (McClelland, 2008, 48) If a youngster tends to be clumsy and uncoordinated, schoolmates and playmates can influence the child to believe that he "can't do anything right." Children of this type often combine the generalization: "I am weak," with the value judgment: "It's disgusting to be weak." (Yomasue, 2008, 42) Such youths are likely candidates for depression. BIOLOGICAL THEORIES OF DEPRESSION During recent years considerable research has gone on to show that in many cases depression may be due to faulty chemical activity in the brain. Throughout the brain are scattered "biogenic amines."(Liu, 2008, 41) According to the study of Wang (2008), these chemical compounds are especially concentrated in the "limbic system," a part of the cerebrum that has much to do with emotions. Scientists have connected three of these amines-dopamine, norepinephrine and serotonin-with the transmission of impulses from one brain cell to another. (46) Interestingly, experiments with both animals and humans have shown that depression results from taking drugs that reduce the level of amines. On the other hand, experimental animals showed notable liveliness when their amine level was increased. Notes the New York Times Magazine: "An international research team of British and American scientists in 1968 added new circumstantial evidence to support the amine theory when they found that the brains of patients who had committed suicide seemed to show some evidence of reduced amine levels. And a recent study of manic-depressives added further support: The urine of manic-depressive patients during their manic period showed increased excretion of norepinephrine, and the exact opposite after they had shifted to the normal phase or the depressed phase." Mental depression is "one of the most common of all serious medical conditions." It afflicts all races and every social and economic level. Depression may be due to faulty chemical activity in the brain. (Buckner, et al, 2008, 54) Understandably, the study excerpt from that of the research performed by the group of Buckner as noted above shows how chemical reactions in the body actually affects the attitude of humans. Hence, for women, having the unstable hormones between gender differences, depression certainly becomes a common matter for women. (Addis, 2008, 53) PSYCHOLOGICAL THEORIES OF DEPRESSION For a long time, scientists have been tackling the monumental task of finding genetic causes and cures for human pathology and behavior. After ten years of work by six teams of researchers, the gene linked to Huntington's disease was isolated, although the researchers have no idea how the gene causes the disease. (Marten, et al, 2008, 76) However, reporting on this research, Scientific American quoted Harvard biologist Evan Balaban, who said that it would be "almost infinitely harder to discover genes for behavioral disorders."(Marten, et al, 2008, 78) In fact, research attempting to link specific genes to human behavior has been unsuccessful. For instance, in Psychology Today, a report on efforts to find genetic causes for depression states: "Epidemiologic data on the major mental illnesses make it clear that they can't be reduced to purely genetic causes." (Marten, et al, 2008, 78) The report gives an example: "Americans born before 1905 had a 1percent rate of depression by age75. Among Americans born a half century later, 6percent become depressed by age24!"(Marten, et al, 2008, 79) It thus concludes that only external or social factors can bring about such dramatic changes in such a short time. What do these and numerous other studies tell While genes may play a role in shaping human personalities, there clearly are other influences. A major factor is our environment, which has undergone radical changes in modern times. Concerning what today's youth are exposed to in popular entertainment, the book Boys Will Be Boys observes that it is unlikely that children will develop sound moral principles when they "grow up watching tens of thousands of hours of TV shows and films in which people are assaulted, shot, stabbed, disemboweled, chopped up, skinned, or dismembered, when children grow up listening to music which glorifies rape, suicide, drugs, alcohol, and bigotry." (McClelland, 2008, 45) Critique: Women and Men Depression "One of the saddest things about depression is the lingering myth that it is mostly a 'female disorder' from which 'real men' are genetically protected," states The Star newspaper of Johannesburg. (Liu, 2008, 75) "Specialists say depression remains hidden in men because men visit health professionals less often than women, with less opportunity to talk about their problems," and they are less able "to articulate emotional distress." (Liu, 2008, 49) So doctors are more familiar with symptoms that are common in female victims of depression. "In women," explains JAMA, "depression has a notably different constellation of symptoms than in men." (Addis, 2008, 65) What are some of the symptoms common in male depression Anger, fatigue, irritability, aggression, a drop in work performance, and a tendency for the sufferer to isolate himself from loved ones and friends. "Sadness," adds a South African edition of Reader's Digest, "doesn't always accompany depression-especially for men."(Addis, 2008, 59) On the other hand, women depression is also caused by other elemental factors. "If you're thinking about leaving your husband, my advice is don't," says Dr. Edward Shorter, a professor of history and women's studies at the University of Toronto. (McClelland, 2008, 77) He notes that, in general, "divorced women now have the highest rates of depression of any group in the population," and are "70 percent more depressed than formerly married men." (McClelland, 2008, 77) He added: "Happiest of all the women surveyed were those who had stayed married."(McClelland, 2008, 77) And while seeking a career in the work force outside the home has recently seemed appealing to many women, Shorter says: "It's now the working women who are discovering what a drag it is slaving full-time at some zero job that nobody is interested in hearing you tell about." (McClelland, 2008, 78) A survey of men and women between the ages of 70 and 79 shows that some widows and widowers experience high levels of depressive symptoms up to two years after the loss of their spouse. Those taking part in the study were divided into six groups, based on the amount of time that had passed since the death of their spouse. (Amunts, 2008, 74) Both interviews and questionnaires were used to measure symptoms of depression. Of the respondents, 38 percent were men, and 62 percent were women. The study found that the rate of depression among the newly bereaved is nine times higher than among married individuals who had not suffered a similar bereavement.(Amunts, 2008, 75) Conclusion LIKE most other disorders, depression has telltale symptoms. But the signs are not all that easy to recognize. Why Because nearly all teens get in a low mood now and then, as do adults. What is the difference between a mere case of the blues and depression Much has to do with the intensity and duration of the condition. Intensity involves the degree to which negative feelings afflict the youth. More severe than a minor bout with despair, depression is an all-consuming emotional illness that seriously impairs the teen's ability to function normally. Dr.Andrew Slaby describes the severity of the condition this way: "Imagine the worst physical pain you've ever had-a broken bone, a toothache, or labor pain-multiply it tenfold and take away the cause; then you can possibly approximate the pain of depression."(Wang, 2007, 65) Duration refers to how long the listless state continues. According to clinical professors Leon Cytryn and Donald H. McKnew, Jr., "a child who shows no signs of being comforted or of resuming a normal life within a week after falling into a low mood (for whatever reason)-or within six months after undergoing what is to him a severe loss-is at risk of developing a depressive disorder." (McClelland, 2008, 79) Hence, in this particular study, it could be observed that the different theoretical basis of the explanation of depression and the reason behind its existence. It is through this understanding that depression becomes easily handled with especially in terms of identifying the different roots of feeling emotionally low with the cases of men and women compared in the said case assessment issues. References: V. V. Amunts. Individual Variability in the Structural Asymmetry of the Dorsomedial Nucleus of the Thalamus in Men and Women. Neuroscience and Behavioral Physiology, Vol. 38, No. 7, 2008. Laura E. McClelland James A. McCubbin. Social influence and pain response in women and men. Accepted: June 9, 2008 Published online: June 28, 2008. Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2008. Michael E. Addis, Clark University. Gender and Depression in Men. CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY: SCIENCE AND PRACTICE - V15 N3, SEPTEMBER 2008. Julia D. Buckner, M.S., Rebecca A. Bernert, M.S., Kiara R. Cromer, M.S., Thomas E. Joiner, Ph.D., and Norman B. Schmidt, Ph.D. SOCIAL ANXIETYAND INSOMNIA: THE MEDIATING ROLE OF DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS.(2008) Bernhard Croissant. Exploring the link between gender, sensation seeking, and family history of alcoholism in cortisol stress-response dampening. Biological Psychology 79 (2008) 268-274. JianLi Wang. Gender specific correlates of stigma toward depression in a Canadian general population sample. Journal of Affective Disorders 103 (2007) 91-97. Michael J. Merten ; K. A. S. Wickrama; Amanda L. Williams. Adolescent Obesity and Young Adult Psychosocial Outcomes:Gender and Racial Differences. J Youth Adolescence (2008) 37:1111-1122. Cong Liu. Use of Both Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches to Study Job Stress in Different Gender and Occupational Groups. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology. 2008, Vol. 13, No. 4, 357-370. Hidenori Yamasue. Sex-Linked Neuroanatomical Basis of Human Altruistic Cooperativeness. Cerebral Cortex October 2008;18:2331-2340. Read More