Why Are Women Taking More Mental Health Meds Than Men?

The concept of a Prozac nation might not be so far off. According to a new report from Medco, a pharmacy benefit manager, more Americans than ever before are taking medication for their mental health.

“Overall, the number of Americans on medications used to treat psychological and behavioral disorders has substantially increased since 2001,” the report states. “More than 1 in 5 adults was on at least one of these medications in 2010, up 22 percent from 10 years earlier.”

Not surprisingly, women are a highlighted group in this report.

“Women are far more likely to take a drug to treat a mental health condition than men, with more than a quarter of the adult female population on these drugs in 2010 as compared to 15 percent of men,” according to the report.

Older women (45 and older) tend to use mental health medication the most out of any group, the report states. Certain types of mental health medications are more popular with women as well.

“Antidepressants are by far the most commonly utilized, with over 20 percent of women on a drug typically prescribed to treat depression,” according to a news release on www.prnewswire.com. “Anxiety treatments are also widely used by women and at almost twice the rate of men.”

Marcia Sirota, a board-certified psychiatrist, author of the soon-to-be-released book “Emotional Eating: Know the Triggers, Heal Your Mind and Never Diet Again,” and a blogger for the Huffington Post, said in an email that there are a couple possible reasons why women are taking more mental health medication than men.

“I think that more women are taking mental health meds these days because for one thing, the rate of anxiety and depression is higher in women and also, women are more amenable to mental health interventions than men, as a rule,” Sirota said.

She thinks that Americans in general are taking more medication to help with mental health issues due to the dire circumstances surrounding them.

“America is in crisis right now. People are losing their jobs and their homes,” Sirota said. “Young people are coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan with devastating injuries. There is an atmosphere of deep insecurity and perhaps even some hopelessness about the future. All of these things contribute to the times being a lot more stressful and predisposing people to anxiety, depression, addiction and other mental health issues.”

She doesn’t think an increase in people taking medication is due to over-medicating and “pathologizing normal behavior.”

“I think that people are finally getting help and wish that more people would do so,” Sirota said.

Although more people seem to be taking medication for mental health problems now than ever before, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

“If more people are on meds it means that they're at least acknowledging that they have a problem and that they need help,” Sirota said. “The notion that someone should be able to talk themselves out of their anxiety or depression is an old and tired one and should be abandoned.”

That being said, she encourages people with mental health issues to not only take medication when it is needed but to also go to at least some type of talk therapy.

Other experts do think the number of women taking mental health medication is a definite problem. Melody Brooke, a licensed professional counselor, said in an email that it’s great that some people who really need help are getting it now, but that medication isn’t always the answer.

“Antidepressants, for example, are the least effective way to address depression,” Brooke said. “Psychological counseling, massage and exercise each prove to be more effective in the long run, according to research. Yet because popping a pill is easy, that’s what most of us do.”

She said that drug company advertising is promoting the use of medication for mental health issues.

“I am not against medications. I often recommend them, but using them and ignoring the underlying emotional issues is irresponsible,” Brooke said. “We have to educate people about the meds not being the solution to the problem, just a tool to help them while they figure out the solutions themselves.”

Dr. Mary Ann Block, an author and medical director of The Block Center, said in an email that women could be taking more mental health medication than men due to biological changes.

“Women's hormones have more fluctuations than men's,” Block said. “Many mental health symptoms such as depression, postpartum depression and anxiety can be attributed to hormone imbalances. Also, women are more likely to go to the doctor than men.”

Medical conditions can often be confused for mental health conditions as well.

“On average, doctors spend approximately 7 minutes with a patient,” Block said. “It is easier to listen to the complaint and prescribe a medication than it is to take the time to find the real cause.”

She does think people are overmedicated, but there are two solutions to this:

1) Realize that certain feelings are normal. “Too many normal reactions to life are now considered psychiatric disorders,” Block said. “It is normal to grieve the loss of a loved one, yet many doctors are quick to prescribe an antidepressant when someone feels bad about the loss. It is important to go through the grieving process and not avoid it with medication.”

2) Take more time with your doctor. “[Overmedication] can be prevented by [doctors] taking the time to do a thorough history, physical and medical work-up,” Block said. “For example, postpartum depression is not depression, it is a hormone imbalance. I have heard doctors say that it is easier to prescribe an antidepressant than to balance the hormones. This shouldn't be the case. Doctors should take the time and patients should demand it.”

Sources:

Medco. About Medco: Who we are. Web. Nov. 22, 2011. http://www.medcohealth.com/medco/corporate/home.jsp?BV_SessionID=@@@@1745955907.1322024228-mm230414400674@@@@&BV_EngineID=ccfkadfffdekdkmcfklcgffdghfdfjh.0&articleID=CorpWhoWeAre

Medco. America’s State of Mind: A report by Medco. New Report: America’s State of Mind. Web. Nov. 22, 2011.
http://medco.mediaroom.com

PrNewswire.com. America's State of Mind: New Report Finds Americans Increasingly Turn to Medications to Ease their Mental Woes; Women Lead the Trend. Web. Nov. 22, 2011.
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/americas-state-of-mind-new-report-finds-americans-increasingly-turn-to-medications-to-ease-their-mental-woes-women-lead-the-trend-133939038.html

Sirota, Marcia. Email interview. Nov. 22, 2011.
Block, Mary Ann. Email interview. Nov. 22, 2011.

The Block Center. About Dr. Block. Web. Nov. 22, 2011. http://blockcenter.com/blog/about
Brooke, Melody. Email interview. Nov, 22, 2011.

Reviewed November 23, 2011
by Michele Blacksberg RN
Edited by Jody Smith

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• Anxiety
• Depression
• Mental Health
• Emotional Health