Depression in Women: Causes and Symptoms

Depression is not the same for all kinds of genders. The women can have more depression than men and their causes and patterns of depression are also different from men. There can be so many causes of depression in women from reproductive hormones to social pressure in women. The women can minimize the risks of depression by learning about the factors of depression.

Understanding the Depression in Women

The depression has very serious impact on the life of a person. There can be effect of depression on the social life, family relationship and also sense of self worth. It is very common for women to have depression. You might be suffering from depression if you have feeling of sad, guilty or you are down in the dumps. You can treat the depression by knowing and understanding it. You can easily tackle the depression in women if you know the cause of it.

Signs and symptoms of depression in women

It has the same signs of depression in women as for major depression. Depressed mood Loss of interest or pleasure in activities you used to enjoy can be some major causes and signs of depression. The women might have feelings of guilty, hopelessness and worthlessness. There can be suicide thoughts or thoughts of death in depression. The sleep will be disturbed and there will be change in the weight and appetite. The women might feel difficulty in concentrating and they will lack energy and fatigue.

Differences between male and female depression

There are certain symptoms of depression in women which are not common in men. The women can have seasonal affective disorder and depression in winter months due to lower levels of sunlight. There are opposite signs observed in women in the atypical depression like more sleep, more eating and weight gain. The women have the more prevalent and pronounced feeling of guilt with depression. There are more incidents of thyroid problems in women. The physicians can easily remove the depression in women with the hypothyroidism in women.

Causes of depression in women

The chances of depression are twice in women than men and this difference persists across racial, ethnic and economic divides. There are different theories about the difference in the depression in men and women. There can be many factors like biological, psychological and social which can be implicated.

Biological causes of depression in women

There can be some biological causes of depression in women like premenstrual problems. There can premenstrual syndromes in women due to hormonal fluctuation during menstrual cycle. These factors can cause bloating, irritability, fatigue, and emotional reactivity. The symptoms of the PMS can be very severs for many women to disturb their life.

Pregnancy and infertility are other biological causes of the depression in women. This depression can occur in women due to hormonal change during pregnancy in women. Miscarriage, unwanted pregnancy and infertility are some other causes of the depression.

The depression can also be due to postpartum in women and it is common in new mothers with baby blues. It can be very severe in women causing depression known as postpartum depression and it can be due to hormonal fluctuation in women.

There can be high risks of depression in women during perimenopause which can lead to the menopause with fluctuation of reproductive hormones. The women with past history of depression can become victim of this depression.

Social and cultural causes of depression in women

It is common for women to have role strain over conflicting responsibilities. The women can become more vulnerable to role strain with more roles to play like mother wife, working women etc and it can cause stress and depression. The women can have depression if they have to do lots of things about their homes and their children. There are high risks of depression in single mothers than married mothers.

Unequal power and status also leads to depression in women. The women can become victim of depression with sense of helplessness. It can also be due to underemployment or unemployment in women in the workplace. The depression can also be due to low socioeconomic status. The youth, beauty and thinness in women can also lead to depression to large extent.

Sexual and physical abuse is also a major cause of depression in women. The girls can have more sexual abuse than boys and there are high risks for them to get depression. The rape victims can have high risks of depression. Physical abuse and sexual harassment can be some other causes of depression in women.

Dissatisfaction in relationship may be the cause of the depression in women as well. There are high risks of depression in single or divorced women. If women have low marital satisfaction then they can have depression very easily.

Poverty is also another cause of depression in women. Poverty is very common in single women than married women.

Psychological causes of depression in women

The women can ruminate more when they are depressed. They tend to cry to relieve their tension and talk to their friends about their problems. But this rumination can lead to more depression. They should distract when they are depressed as it can reduce their depression.

The depressed women tend to ruminate more but it can add to their depression instead of reducing it. It is important for women to distract themselves when they are depressed as it can reduce their depression.

The women can develop more depression than men under lower levels of stress. There is also difference in the physiological response to stress in women. The stress hormones are produced more in women and these hormones are prevented by the female sexual hormones from turning them as in men.

The depression can be due to the sex differences in men and women during puberty. The body dissatisfaction of the girls is increased during the sexual development. The depression can be due to the body image which is closely linked to self esteem in women.