Depression is ranked high as a debilitating disease, only coming second to severe forms of arthritis. Yet you don't see a flood to doctors for treatment. Research indicates that 19 million people suffer from depression each year, and only a third seek help. Despite the fact that most incidences of clinical depression can be treated all or in part by a combination of medication, therapy and change in lifestyle, most women suffer with the consequences and try to heal themselves.
This hesitancy for treatment is often due to the stigma attached to the ailment. Even in this day and age it is difficult for a woman to tell an employer, her child's teacher or even some friends that she is clinically depressed. In other situations, a woman is incapable of action--even making a doctor's appointment--because her clinical depression leads to physical changes such a chronic fatigue, sleep problems, and decrease in appetite. The illness also brings on feelings of sadness, emptiness and hopelessness and lessens the ability to concentrate and make decisions. Further, it impacts behavior, leading to increased irritability and loss of temper, social withdrawal, and a decreased desire to partake in pleasurable activities.
Why women experience clinical depression more than men is still unknown. However, research has studied many factors that may cause a woman to become ill. These include biological factors such as reproduction, hormones and genetics; abuse, violence and oppression; interpersonal factors; and certain psychological and personality traits. Yet many women exposed to these stress factors do not get depressed. What makes them different?
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