Sei sulla pagina 1di 3

INTRODUCTION

Everyone feels down or low at some point of the time in their lives, but these feelings are usually fleeting or momentary and do not stay on for long. If they do, they are classified as symptoms of an acute disorder depression. Depression is a common but serious illness, and mostly it needs treatment to get better or back to normal. Depression affects both men and women, but surprisingly more women are diagnosed with it year after year. A depressive disorder interferes with daily life and normal functioning of a woman, and causes pain for both her and her clos ones.

WHY IS PREVALENCE HIGHER IN WOMEN?


Efforts to explain this difference have been made by us through survey and secondary data research, by exploring certain factors like biological and social that are unique to women. According to a major study, the lifetime risk of major depression in women is about 20% to 26%, compared to about 8% to 12% for men. This is in itself very alarming and yet, many women with a depressive illness never seek treatment. Weve identified several risk factors that can potentially effect gender differences in depression prevalence. Sex Differences in Hormones Gender Differences in Socialization Gender Differences in Coping Style Differences in Frequency of and Reaction to Stressful Life Event Social Roles and Cultural Influences

STATISTICS OF PREVALENCE
About 1 in 5 women develop depression at some stage in life. Depression can occur at any age, but it's most common in women between the ages of 40 and 59. The prevalence is widely researched.

A recent study indicated that 1/4th of women suffer from depression during either pregnancy or postpartum period. Still most of these women dont recognize or treat this illness. It is interesting to note that before adolescence, both genders have same rates of depression. Things change when the ages of eleven and thirteen are reached. In this age, the prevalence of depression in girls sees a dramatic rise, and by the age of 15, females are twice as likely as males to suffer from depression. Girls undergo more hardships like poverty, poor education, childhood sexual abuse, and other traumas on a greater level than boys. More than 70% of depressed girls and only 15 % of boys will experience a difficult or stressful life event prior to a depressive episode.

Inferences
1. The results clearly show that women are more likely to experience little interest in their day to day activities or gain lesser pleasure out of them, as compared to their male counterparts. The result data is collated on varying measures of time periods. 2. Out of our surveyed population, we found out that only 2 women were able to confidently say they did not feel depressed at all as compared to 12 men who could confidently state that they do not feel depressed or hopeless. 3. When asked about sleeping patterns, 50% more women than men replied, they have trouble sleeping soundly or they have an erratic sleeping pattern on more than half the days. 4. On a similar pattern, when asked about tiredness or the tendency of having very little energy for work, on more than half the days, lesser women have this issue than males. But when we see on a daily basis, four times more females experience this disorder than males. Very few females opine that they are fresh or dont feel tired at all, on comparison with men. 5. On the topic of poor appetite, more no. of women experience it on a daily basis. It may be because the stamina finishes after a hard days work. Again a minimum number only were confident that they do not suffer from a poor appetite as compared to men. We are starting to realize a trend here, one that will reflect on womens behavior. 6. On the question of feeling bad about oneself, or perceiving oneself as a failure, around 5 times more females than men replied with an affirmative answer. Perception of oneself as a failure is a very serious disorder in itself. It is the primary cause of depression in

both men and women. The tendency to end ones life is the strongest when one views oneself as a failure or is unable to cope up with it. 7. Trouble in concentrating is another major symptom in identifying depression . More women tend to fall prey to this, as compared to males. Nearly every day, increasing no. of women find it troublesome to work properly. 8.

Potrebbero piacerti anche