Understanding depression in women
Depression can affect every part of a women’s life, including her physical health, social life, relationships, career, and sense of self-worth. And it may be complicated by other factors like reproductive hormones, social pressures, and the unique female response to stress. However, it is more important to know that you are not alone. Women are twice as likely as men to be hurt from depression, but it is treatable, and you can do plenty of things to make yourself feel better.
Signs and symptoms of depression in women
However, the signs and symptoms of depression in women vary from mild to severe and are differentiated by their effect on your ability to function. The most common signs and symptoms of depression may include:-
- Experiences of hopelessness.
- You no longer care about the hobbies, pastimes, and social works you used to enjoy.
- Changes in appetite often lead to significant weight loss or weight gain.
- Changes in your sleep pattern.
- Experiencing anger.
- Experiencing fatigue, sluggishness, and drained of energy.
- Trouble concentrating, making decisions, or remembering things.
- Raise in aches and pains, such as headaches, cramps, breast tenderness, or bloating.
- Suicidal thoughts
Also, women tend to feel specific depression symptoms more often than men. However, these symptoms may include:-
- Depression in the winter months: This may be due to lower levels of sunlight
- Symptoms of atypical depression: Where it may rather than sleeping less, eating less, and losing weight, you feel the opposite: sleeping excessively, eating more, and increasing weight.
- Strong experience of guilt and worthlessness: you harshly criticize yourself for perceived faults and mistakes.
Causes of depression in women
Women report feeling depression much more significantly than men. This gender imbalance may be explained by several social, biological, and hormonal factors specific to women.
Premenstrual problems:
Hormonal imbalance during the menstrual period can cause the common symptoms of premenstrual syndrome (PMS), like bloating, irritability, fatigue, and emotional reactivity. For some women, signs are severe and disabling and may warrant a cure for premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD). PMDD is differed by severe depression, irritability, and other mood changes starting about 10 to 14 days before your period and improving within a few days of its start.
Pregnancy and infertility:
Several hormonal changes that may occur during pregnancy can contribute to depression. Some other issues relating to pregnancy like miscarriage, unwanted pregnancy, and infertility can also play a vital role in depression.
Menopause and perimenopause:
Women may be at raised risk for depression during perimenopause. Most women with past histories of depression issues are at an increased risk of depression.
The female physiological response to stress:
Women may produce more stress hormones than men, and the female sex hormone progesterone stops the stress hormone system from turning itself off as it does in men. This can make women more susceptible to building depression triggered by stress.
Body image problems:
Which raise in girls during the sexual development of puberty can contribute to depression in adolescence.
A thyroid problem may cause depression; a physician should always rule out this medical issue.
Medication side effects: Birth control medicine or hormone replacement therapy can cause depression in women.
Other familiar causes of depression
- Loneliness and isolation
- Family history of depression
- Early childhood trauma or abuse
- Alcohol or drug abuse
- Marital or relationship issues, balancing the pressures of career and home life
- Feeling discrimination at work or not reaching essential goals, losing or changing a job, retirement, or embarking on military service
- Persistent money issues
How to feel better
However, there are some possible tips to control depression problems:-
1: Reach out for social support
2: Support your health
3: Get up and get moving
4: Eat a healthy depression-fighting diet
5: Get a daily dose of sunlight
6: Challenge negative thinking
Get professional help if needed
However, if you do not feel better from self-help treatment, seek support from a mental health professional. While women hurting from depression respond to the same types of treatment as men, specific aspects of treatment are often modified for women. Also, women are more likely to need concurrent therapy for other conditions like anxiety or eating disorders.
