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Depression in Women

© John McManamy

"Most of the suffering that women endure, and by extension their families, is unnecessary."

It's an issue that NOW won't seem to touch with a ten-foot pole. Perhaps it's beyond their jurisdiction. Maybe it's a matter of wait and see. Then again, perhaps they are afraid of the firestorm it will touch off.

We are talking about depression, which women suffer in far greater numbers than men. First and foremost it's a health issue, but the political ramifications may have women caught in a cruel double-bind, where to speak out is to invite a reaction that begs them being wrongly perceived as the weaker sex.

Already we are talking about the number one health problem in females, affecting one in five over the course of a lifetime, double the number in males. Of those, at least half will suffer a second episode. In addition to classical depression, women are also subject to specific types related to their ability to bear children, such as post-partum depression and depression brought on by PMS.

With the onset of puberty, women begin suffering far more than boys, which carries over into adulthood and peaks at perimenopause, the transition into menopause. Thereafter, the numbers gradually recede back to the levels of men.

As to why women fall victim more, no one really knows. The most obvious explanation is that maybe they do not suffer so much as speak out and get help. But this hypothesis has been knocked down by studies that show depression rampant in females across a wide variety of cultures, regardless of their status.

The real reason may have to do with the various roles women are forced to play in society, and the stresses and strains and abuses they are exposed to. This social view, though, competes with a biological model that promises to reveal down to the last amino acid the true underpinnings of our thoughts and moods:

For starters, the relation between depression and reproductive functions point to the ebb and flow of the the hormones estrogen and progesterone as the main culprits, but neurological studies suggest matters are not all that simple.

In research conducted by the NIMH, PET scan readings revealed that women engaged eight times more of the brain's total area when thinking sad thoughts. And a McGill University study discovered that men's brains produce 53 percent more serotonin than women (serotonin being the neurotransmitter that is targeted by Prozac and other drugs).

One can imagine the political whirlwind this kind of research is bound to reap, especially keeping in mind the enormous strides scientists are still making. It is one thing to acknowledge that our bodies are different, but what will be the consequences of knowing that we have different brains, as well, especially if those in women are shown to be more vulnerable?

The copyright of the article Depression in Women in Depression is owned by John McManamy. Permission to republish Depression in Women in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.