Depression and Common Mental Disorders †Free Samples to Students

Question: Discuss about the Depression and Common Mental Disorders. Answer: Introduction: Mental illness or disorder refers to psychiatric problems or behavioural mental patterns that are responsible for bringing about significant impairment or distress of personal functioning. Such problems are relapsing or persistent and are found to occur in the form or single or several episodes (Clement et al. 2015). Most mental health problems usually affect men and women equally. However, some of the mental disorders have been found to occur more among women. There are a range of social factors that put women at an increased risk of suffering from poor mental health status than men (Chambers et al. 2014). This essay will talk about higher prevalence of anxiety and depression among women and will elaborate on relevant theory to explain the same. Anxiety and depression are associated with significant burden of mortality and morbidity (Izard 2013). Gender is considered as an essential determinant of mental illness. Substantial attention has been given to morbidity that is associated with several mental disorders, when compared to than gender-specific mechanisms and determinants responsible for promoting and protecting mental health. Gender is responsible for determining differential power and controls gender over the major socioeconomic determinants that influence the mental health (Maguen et al. 2012). Gender differences also create an impact on social position, lives, treatment and status in the society and increase the exposure and susceptibility to specific mental health diseases. Gender differences are particularly found to affect prevalence of anxiety, depression, and somatic complaints (Eaton et al. 2012). These disorders are predominantly found among women and affect 1 in 3 people, globally (Whiteford et al. 2013). Anxiety disorders are defined by restlessness, extreme fear, and muscle tension and are disabling or debilitating. This in turn increases the risk of depression and suicidal ideations (Lader 2015). Anxiety disorder is ranked 6th in terms of its contribution to global disability (3.4%). The global population had a proportion of 3.6% suffering from anxiety disorders in 2015. Further reports also suggested that as many as 7.7% females suffered from this disorder (when compared to 3.6% males) (World Health Organization 2017). Anxiety has been viewed as one of the basic manifestations of maladaptive metacognitions that encompass several vulnerabilities of psychological disorders. Some of the most common factors that contribute to prevalence of anxiety disorder in women include work-related stress, sexist attitudes from family and friends, and overload of domestic responsibility (Wrtzen et al. 2013). According to surveys, an estimated 45% people experience mental health problems in their lifetime (Beyondblue.org.au 2018). The National Survey of Mental Health suggested that anxiety disorder was found to affect 1 in 7 people, living in Australia, which accounted for 14.4% of the population (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 2018). Research findings further illustrate that men with reduced serotonin levels are more impulsive, but are least likely to experience changes in their responses to induced chemical changes (Albert, Vahid-Ansari and Luckhart 2014). On the other hand, women show an increased susceptibility to experience mood-lowering effects in them. Thus, low serotonin levels are likely to result in an increased and more sensitive response to stress. Depression refers to the state of persistent low mood and aversion to all kinds of activities that eventually affects the behaviour, thoughts and sense of wellbeing of an individual (Hammen et al. 2012). Further evidences suggest that depression is prevalent in around 1 million adults in Australia. According to reports published by the National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing 2007, depression was found to affect around 6.2% of the Australian population, aged between 16-85 years (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 2018). Further statistics states that it affects approximately 350 million individuals globally, with women being twice more likely to get diagnosed with depression than men (Martin, Neighbors and Griffith 2013). Freud postulated the fact that women were more likely to neurosis due to experiences of aggression towards themselves, as a direct manifestation of developmental issues. Eaglys social role theory can be cited as the probable explanation for such differences that arise in mental behaviour (Olson, Zanna and Herman 2013). It is a social role theory that pertains to similarities and differences in sex related social behaviour. The key principles of the theory states that the differences arise primarily due to disparities in distribution of social roles of men and women in the society. Social roles consider women more likely to work as homemakers and as primary caretakers of the family and children in the paid economy (Eckes and Trautner 2012). On the other hand, men are considered more suitable for performing tasks that involve assertiveness, physical strength and leadership skills. Thus, the theory pertains to the sex differences in the social behaviour that makes women more prone to su ffer from mental problems. Differences in the distribution of their social roles in the society through assumption of the gender roles make women have poorer experiences while performing their pre-determined roles, subsequently resulting in a stress, and creating more conflicts among their roles. Gender roles and societal patriarchy are thus believed to have adverse effects on the psychological perceptions of men and women. Thus, the theory states that all roles are linked to societal functioning and social status or positions (Koenig and Eagly 2014). The major factors that contribute to an increased prevalence of depression among women include fluctuations in hormonal levels during puberty or menopause, ruminative nature of women, sociocultural factors such as, stress and discrimination. Increased life expectancy among women are also linked with loneliness, bereavement, and poor mental health that directly results in development of depressive symptoms. Women are likely to experience discrimination and harassment at the workplace that becomes difficult to combat due to concerns regarding threats or embarrassment. Such discrimination is stressful and subtle and makes it easy for the perpetrators to deny the harm done (Kimbrough et al. 2013). Women are also entitled with the primary responsibility of conducting domestic tasks, and are often put under pressure to accomplish certain goals. This makes it difficult for women to maintain positive relations with family and results in manifestation of generalized anxiety disorder. Thus, th e theory helps in correlating gender with prevalence of the aforementioned mental disorders in women. To conclude, it can be stated that gender differences can be attributed to a combination of factors, such as, brain chemistry, hormonal fluctuations, and social factors. Impact of certain factors such as, control on working outside the domestic sphere will lead to women experience a range of mental illnesses. Hence, development of internalized symptoms by women, which in turn directs problematic feeling towards self accounts for the higher prevalence of mental illness among women. References Albert, P.R., Vahid-Ansari, F. and Luckhart, C., 2014. Serotonin-prefrontal cortical circuitry in anxiety and depression phenotypes: pivotal role of pre-and post-synaptic 5-HT1A receptor expression.Frontiers in behavioral neuroscience,8, p.199. 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Mindfulness significantly reduces self-reported levels of anxiety and depression: results of a randomised controlled trial among 336 Danish women treated for stage IIII breast cancer.European Journal of Cancer,49(6), pp.1365-1373.