It may seem a bit redundant to have Mental Health Awareness Month in May and also Women’s Mental Health Awareness Month in March, but because mental health is different for men and women, now is a good time to talk about the things that impact mental health for females. At Carolina Dunes Behavioral Health in Leland, North Carolina, we believe in treating the whole person, which means recognizing the various factors that can play a role in our patients’ mental health.
How Mental Illness Is Different for Women
Although anyone can struggle with mental health disorders,
- Women have higher rates of the following: depression: there are even some forms of depression that are unique to women, such as perinatal depression and perimenopausal depression, anxiety: women are twice as likely to develop anxiety disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), body dysmorphic disorders, eating disorders, and borderline personality disorder.
- Women with substance use disorders often have symptoms that are far more severe by the time they receive treatment, and they often have more difficulty entering recovery from addiction, despite typically using less frequently and in smaller amounts than men.
- Women with bipolar disorder are often diagnosed later and are more likely to have co-occurring physical and mental health conditions, which can make managing the condition more challenging. Hormonal changes can also have an impact on the severity of a woman’s bipolar disorder.
Reasons Why Mental Illness Is Different for Women
There are many reasons for the differences in mental health between males and females. Some of the causes are biological, and others are the result of experiences women have within society.
- Hormonal changes due to menstruation, pregnancy/childbirth, and menopause
- Caregiving responsibilities for children, elderly, or disabled adult relatives
- Higher rates of abuse, particularly sexual assault or domestic violence
- Exposure to trauma, such as miscarriage, which is a traumatic event experienced only by people assigned female at birth, can be a trigger for depression
- Social inequities, including higher rates of poverty
Even in mental health disorders that have similar rates of occurrence between men and women, there are sometimes differences in presentation, the typical age at onset, or how the condition progresses in male patients versus female patients. Because scientific research has often been more focused on men and boys, when a woman or girl experiences mental illness differently, it may result in delayed or missed diagnoses. While attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is classified as a neurological difference, and not a mental illness, the difference in presentation between males and females and the frequent delay in diagnosis in girls and women can result in mental health concerns because they may spend years being blamed and blaming themselves for their symptoms, resulting in anxiety or depression.
North Carolina Specific Information
Women in North Carolina are not exempt from these struggles. The Institute for Women’s Policy and Research gave North Carolina a D for women’s health and well-being in the state.
- 35 percent of women in the state have experienced intimate partner or sexual violence, leading to fearfulness, concern for their safety, PTSD symptoms, and physical injuries
- Women in North Carolina report having more than four days per month when their mental health is not good.
The Good News
While the information above isn’t particularly pleasant, there is also good news for women.
- The treatment options for mental health conditions are getting better with each passing year. There are more highly effective medications and therapeutic interventions available now than ever before.
- Women are more likely than men to receive mental health treatment, including therapy and medication.
- Research is becoming more diverse, in exploring not just how straight, cis men experience mental illness, but also how mental illness impacts gay and straight women, transgender and non-binary people, which should make it easier for people in these groups to receive timely and effective diagnosis and treatment.
At Carolina Dunes Behavioral Health, we recognize that men and women experience mental illness differently and that they also recover differently. Our team of trauma-informed professionals works with each patient to develop an individualized treatment plan to meet their unique needs, which could be influenced by that person’s assigned gender and their gender identity, as well as numerous other factors.
