What Factors Increase the Risk of Depression in Women?

Women are more prone to suffer from depression and related complications that affect their physical and psychological health. It affects social, emotional, and cognitive functions. Adolescents and adults are prone to suffer from mental health problems, including depression.

Contributing Factors of Depression in Women

The factors that cause depression among women are:

•         Hormonal Changes: Puberty can affect young girls, which affects their grades and relationship with their caregivers. The changes in hormones, physical appearance, and identity crisis can cause depression. The support from peers and caregivers helps the child to control their anxiousness. Thus, parents should maintain a close relationship and support them throughout the transition period.
•         Premenstrual Syndrome: Premenstrual syndrome symptoms include chest tenderness, anxiety, extreme pain, discomfort, and bloating before menstruation. It causes women to become irritable and agitated as they can complete everyday tasks. Estrogen and progesterone affect the brain’s chemical responsible for mood changes.
•         Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder: When the symptoms of PMS worsen in the individual fails to perform basic tasks, it leads to PMDD, which requires therapeutic intervention.
•         Domestic Abuse: Women who have been physical, sexually, emotionally, and verbally abused in their childhood are prone to suffer from depression and related complications. The unresolved trauma and lack of support affect mental health. Denial as a coping mechanism suppresses emotions; however, it starts to affect mental health after years, which may lead to clinical depression.
•         Gender Discrimination: Women do not get equal opportunities in healthcare, jobs, and education. The lack of resources causes low self-esteem, anxiety lack of control over everyday problems. Women have to work more to attain recognition in workplaces. Most women with skills, experience, and qualifications have fewer opportunities and financial gains due to gender discrimination. Inequality affects mental health and causes women to suffer from depression.
•         Workplace-Related Stress: Working mothers have to overwork to earn and feed their children. Work-related stress and failure to balance personal and professional life increase the risk of anxiety and depression.
•         Unwanted Pregnancy: Pregnant women have drastic hormonal changes that affect their appearance. An unwanted pregnancy can affect mental health, as the mother feels unprepared for new challenges and responsibilities. The lack of support from family members can cause anxiety and depression.
•         Relationship Problems: Women suffering from emotionally abusive relationships are at a higher risk of depression. The lack of emotional support affects professional life. The women fear they cannot make their partners happy and fulfill their needs. The anxiety and self-doubt cause the women to suffer from depression.
•         Traumatic Events: The death of a loved one and an unhealthy way of coping with the loss increases the risk of depression. Also, gender discrimination, childhood harassment, and bullying cause anxiety and affect females later in life.
•         Infertility: Women struggling with fertility problems for years may lose hope, which affects their psychological health. When the treatment is ineffective, the women remain anxious and hopeless, leading to depression.

·         Postpartum Depression: New mothers exhibiting signs such as irritability, sadness, and anger for more than two weeks should consult a specialist as they may be suffering from postpartum depression. Depression causes the mothers to feel they are not ready to raise the child and have suicidal ideations.