May is Mental Health Month: Find Out About 10 Mental Health Issues That Affect Women

Everyone has to be concerned about mental health, which is the point of Mental Health Month in May.

“I think the purpose of May is Mental Health Month is to raise awareness around not just mental health conditions, but the importance of promoting good mental health, meaning taking care of yourself,” said Erica Ahmed, the director of public education for Mental Health America.

MHA has been behind this awareness month since 1949, and a new campaign this year is called “Do More For 1 in 4.”

“At any given time, 1 in 4 Americans has a mental health condition,” Ahmed said. “This is something that if it doesn’t impact you directly, it impacts more than likely somebody you know.”

She believes there is still a stigma, despite campaign efforts. However, education around mental health can fight stigma, including realizing how mental health is a part of everyday life.

“If it were a broken leg or hip or heart disease, there’s no stigma. Your mind, your head is part of your body. Why should that be any different?” Ahmed said.

Without education, people are just unsure of how to react in certain situations regarding mental health. It could be strange if someone falls down and their eyes roll in the back of their head during a seizure, but people are more aware of what to do in those situations.

Overall, there are some things Ahmed wants women to know about mental health.

“Mental health is whole health, meaning from head to toe, health’s important,” Ahmed said. “People with mental health conditions still live a full life.”

Here are 10 mental health issues that affect women. They aren’t in order of importance, and there are many other mental health conditions that affect women. Some of the issues on the list are more or less common. For example, stress is more common than eating disorders.

1) Stress and anxiety. “We just tend to internalize the role of caregiver differently. When you do that, it has an impact on yourself, on your body physiologically as well as psychologically,” Ahmed said. “I think we process stress differently because we take on more stress.”

Aline Zoldbrod, a licensed psychologist in Massachusetts, agrees with Ahmed.

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• Anxiety
• Depression
• Mental Health
• PMDD
• Postpartum Depression
• Domestic Abuse
• Emotional Health
• Pregnancy
• Sex & Relationships