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.
“We're socialized to be caretakers. We get a lot of approval for being caretakers,” Zoldbrod said in an email. “But caring for others before oneself nonstop is the recipe for psychological burnout. I try to teach my women patients to be ‘selfist.’ Being ‘selfist’ is not the same as being selfish; it's just learning to put your own needs into consideration when you are noticing what others [need].”
She said women tend to engage in circular tasks, which are never completed, like laundry and dishes. She said men’s tasks are generally linear, like writing a report that is finished after it’s completed the first time.
“So I try to teach my women patients to stop doing circular tasks, notice what they need themselves, and to take some time for themselves - to read, to relax, to exercise, to meditate, to do whatever brings them pleasure and joy,” Zoldbrod said.
2) Depression. According to the Society for Women’s Health Research website, “Depressive disorders afflict almost 10 percent of the United States population, with two to three times more females than males affected.” There are many types of depression, including postpartum depression, although that condition is not recognized in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.
3) Eating disorders. According to the South Carolina Department of Mental Health, “it is estimated that 8 million Americans have an eating disorder – seven million women and one million men.”
4) Rape and other forms of sexual assault. The effects of sexual assault can include depression, trauma, substance abuse, sleep disorders and even suicidality, according to the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network website. The website also states that “1 out of every 6 American women has been the victim of an attempted or completed rape in her lifetime.”
5) Poor body image. A study from the University of the West of England found that “30 percent of women would trade at least one year of their life to achieve their ideal body weight and shape.” The study included a sample of college women in the UK. Body image has always been an issue for women – just talk to the woman next to you about body image and see her response. Fortunately, there are some attempts to combat poor body image, including the formation of websites like loveyourbody.org and media campaigns, like the famous Dove "Campaign For Real Beauty."
6) Hypoactive sexual desire disorder. Although there don’t seem to be many statistics on this disorder, at least from what I learned in my advanced human sexuality course it seems to be affecting more women than men. According to the DSM, this disorder is “a deficiency or absence of sexual fantasies and desire for sexual activity.” This disorder can cause distress and problems in relationships. Other sexual desire, arousal and orgasmic disorders seem to be more common for women as well, though men can also suffer. Sexual problems in general can affect mental health, especially within the context of a relationship. There are also still gender-role expectations that can cause issues, including the belief that women don't want sex or shouldn't be having a lot of sex.
7) Premenstrual dysphoric disorder. This disorder is characterized by more severe symptoms than PMS, like “markedly depressed mood” and “decreased interest in activities” that “must be severe enough to markedly interfere with work, school, or usual activities and be entirely absent for at least one week postmenses,” according to the DSM. It also must occur in “most menstrual cycles during the past year.” According to the Massachusetts General Hospital Center for Women’s Mental Health, “3 to 8 percent of women in their reproductive years” are affected by PMDD.
8) Low self-esteem. Both women and men can be afflicted with low self-esteem. One study found that “on average, women had lower self-esteem than did men throughout most of adulthood, but self-esteem levels converged as men and women reached their 80s and 90s.” The study overall found that middle-aged people had the highest self-esteem, but that it dramatically dropped after about age 60.
9) Pregnancy. Although pregnancy itself isn't a mental health issue, there are many mental health concerns surrounding pregnancy that women at least have to be aware of. For example, postpartum depression was mentioned earlier, and this depression can affect women after giving birth. There is also the possibility of having a miscarriage or an abortion. According to one study, it appears that having a miscarriage can have long-term mental health effects, like depression and anxiety. However, another study found that “abortion does not cause depression or low self-esteem in adolescents,” at least not more than teens who are pregnant and don't have abortions. The same was found for adult women in a study by the American Psychological Association.
10) Sleep issues or disorders. According to a survey by the Better Sleep Council, “26 percent of women report trouble sleeping at least once a week compared to only 16 percent of men.” According to polls by the National Sleep Foundation, women have more “difficulty falling and staying asleep” than men, and also “experience symptoms of insomnia at least a few nights a week” more often than men. Sleep issues can be linked to depression, anxiety and other mental health conditions, besides fatigue in general.
Are you suffering from any of these mental health issues? Share your experiences and how you're dealing.
Sources:
http://www.womenshealthresearch.org/site/PageServer?pagename=hs_healthfacts_mental
http://www.state.sc.us/dmh/anorexia/statistics.htm
http://www.rainn.org/get-information/effects-of-sexual-assault
http://info.uwe.ac.uk/news/uwenews/news.aspx?id=1949
http://www.loveyourbody.org/
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/04/100401125931.htm
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/03/110303065213.htm
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/09/100924122537.htm
http://www.bettersleep.org/mattressology/sleep_stats.asp
http://www.sleepfoundation.org/article/sleep-topics/women-and-sleep
http://www.dove.us/#/cfrb/