Depression and its Factors Between GendersAlex Urdanoff

Thesis

Although stereotypes and gender roles may have influenced views on how depression affect men and women, there actually are very different ways that both experience depression because of biological and social factors.

Stereotypes

Depressed Woman. Depressed man?

Study in PLoS Journal determined these stereotypes influence our view on these mental illnesses

Differences in Brain Structure

Men’s brains wired more between front and back.

Women’s brains wired more between the left and right.

Differences in Brain Structure 2

Neural Scan of Male Brain

Differences in Brain Structure 3

Neural Scan of Female Brain

Differences in Brain Structure 4

Male brains wired more for perception and for coordinated actions.

Female brains wired for memory and social skills.

Depression

Women might be more likely to report depression

Gender differences emerge in puberty

Oxytocin and Vasopressin

Depression Treatments

Interpersonal psychotherapy and cognitive-behavior therapy

Tricyclic antidepressants and Monoamine oxidase inhibitors

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors

Hormone-Based Depression in Women

Rapid-Cycling Affective Illness Post-Partum Depression Premenstrual Depression

Stigma

Gender roles are damaging to both genders

Representation of women in statistics Diseases have been defined by how

women experience them

Stigma 2

Men have been underrepresented in psychiatric statistics.

Higher rates of suicide in men.

Symptoms

Women appear to be more emotional

Men seem to be less so

Sources

Frank, Ellen. Ed. Gender and Its Effects on Psychopathology. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Press,

Inc. 2000. Print.

Gardner, Amanda. “How Gender Stereotypes Warps Our View of Depression”. Time. 15 November

2012. Web. 31 March 2014.

Prior, Pauline M. Gender and Mental Health. New York: New York University Press. 1999. Print.

Sample, Ian. “Male and female brains wired differently, scans reveal”. The Guardian. 2 December 2013.

Web. 31 March 2014.

Schimelpfening, Nancy. “Is There a Difference Between Male and Female Depression Symptoms”. About.com Depression. About.com. 1 September, 2011. Web. 9

April 2014.