A Brief Note On Women And Mental Illness - 1226 Words

Maria Gonzalez Professor Swanson English 1A November 3, 2015 Research Paper: Women and Mental Illness Women in the United States are more susceptible to depression than men because of physical, sociological, and psychological factors. Despite recent increase in women diagnosed with depression through recent years, it is continuously perceived as a matter of little importance and dismissed as a petty problem that should not be taken seriously. Arguments against the importance of solving this increasing issue suggest that the problem is contributed by sexist and discriminating ideals towards women and mental illness. Depression in women vary through different categorizations. Major depression, for example, has severe symptoms that†¦show more content†¦Because the male body is not affected by a majority of the physicality of a woman, women have an increased chance of having mental illnesses such as depression. Studies such as one carried out in 2001 based on identical and fraternal twins and depression found that depression has a â€Å"genetic base† (Kendler). George Zubenko further comments on the study’s findings in page 981 of his journal concerning the genetic linkage between depressive disorders in women from families with early-onset depression. Zubenko details that twin studies, such as the one conducted by Kendler, have demonstrated genetic factors â€Å"typically accounting for 40 to 70% of the risk for developing major depressive disorder.† The comments on the twin study is significant in supporting both Zubenko’s and Kindler’s thesis of depres sion being a mental illness that can be passed on through genetics, especially for women whom are more vulnerable to receptive genetic qualities. In general, people with depression have different brain chemistry in comparison to those without the illness. This is most notably applied to women as mood and emotion controlling hormones affect brain chemistry, especially in situations where hormones are changing significantly. Giving birth, especially the time immediately after the excruciating process, is a significant situation in which a woman’s hormones are under an overwhelming change. Hormonal and