Does mental health vary across gender?

Mental health plays an integral and essential component of health in every person’s life. WHO defines health as, “Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” This definition clearly states that mental health is more than just the absence of mental disorders or disabilities. It is a state of well-being in which an individual is aware of their abilities, can cope with the normal everyday stresses of life, can work productively, and is able to contribute to society.

Determinants of mental health

Multiple factors including social, psychological, and biological determine the level of mental health of a person at different points of time. For example, violence and persistent socio-economic pressures are recognized as huge risks to mental health.

Poor mental health can also be associated with rapid changes in social or work environment, gender-based discrimination, social exclusion, unhealthy lifestyle, physical health problems and human rights violations, and so on.

There are specific psychological and personality factors that can make people more prone to mental health problems. Biological risks arise from genetic factors.

World Health Organization response to mental health

WHO supports all governments in the goal of strengthening and promoting mental health within their respective countries. WHO has evaluated the evidence for promoting mental health and it is working with various government agencies to disseminate this information and to integrate effective strategies into policies and plans suitable to the needs of their countries

In 2013, the World Health Assembly approved a “Comprehensive Mental Health Action Plan for 2013-2020”. This Plan is a commitment by all WHO’s the Member States to take specific actions to improve mental health within their States and to contribute to the attainment of a set of global targets.

This Plan’s overall goal is to promote mental well-being, prevent mental disorders, provide care, enhance recovery, promote human rights, and reduce the mortality, morbidity, and disability for persons with mental disorders.

Gender-specific risk factors

Depression, anxiety, somatic symptoms, and high comorbidity rates are strongly related to risk factors that are intertwined and co-occurring, such as gender-based roles, stressors, and traumatic experiences and events in life.

Gender-specific risk factors that disproportionately impact women for common mental illnesses include gender-based abuse, socio-economic deprivation, low income, and income disparity, low or subordinate social status, and rank and unremitting accountability for others’ treatment.

Women are the largest single group of people affected by this condition because of the high incidence of sexual assault to which women are subjected and the correspondingly high occurrence of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder ( PTSD) following such violence. There was no adequate investigation of the mental health effects of long-term, cumulative psychosocial adversity.

Gender disparity and the prevalence of common mental illnesses are greatly exacerbated by economic and social policies that cause rapid, disruptive, and extreme changes to wealth, jobs, and social capital that cannot be regulated or prevented.

WOMEN

Women are more likely to have been treated for any mental health problem/disorder than men (29% compared to 17%). This could be because, when asked, women are more likely to report and recognize symptoms of common mental health problems that they encounter (Better Or Worse: A Longitudinal Study Of The Mental Health Of Adults In Great Britain, National Statistics, 2003)

Even depression is more common in women as compared to men. 1 in every 4 women will require treatment for depression at some time, compared to 1 in every 10 men. The reasons for this are unclear, but can most likely be due to both social, environmental and biological factors. It has been suggested that depression in men might have been under diagnosed because they present to their general physician with different symptoms including a range of physical and stress related symptoms rather than psychological symptoms. (National Institute For Clinical Excellence, 2003)

Women are twice likely to experience anxiety in comparison to men. Even among people with phobias or OCD, about 60% are female (The Office for National Statistics Psychiatric Morbidity report, 2001).

MEN

Men are more likely to have an alcohol or drug problem as compared to women. 67% of British people who consume alcohol are at ‘hazardous’ levels, and 80% of those people who are dependent on alcohol are males. Also, three-quarters of people dependent on cannabis, and 69% of those dependent on other illegal drugs are males (The Office for National Statistics Psychiatric Morbidity report, 2001). Therefore, males are more likely to develop substance abuse and related problems as compared to their female counterparts.

Differences in the extent of mental health problems

Mental health problems affect women and men equally, but some are more common among women due to their lifestyle, position in society, and so on. Abuse is a common factor that leads to mental health problems among women. Treatment needs to be sensitive to different genders to avoid creating any gender differences.Various social factors also put women at greater risk of poor mental health as compared to men. However, women’s readiness to talk about their feelings, ability to discuss problems, and their strong social support groups help them protect their mental health.

References

Gender and women’s mental health. (2013, June 24). Retrieved November 06, 2020, from https://www.who.int/mental_health/prevention/genderwomen/en/

Gender differences in Mental Health. (n.d.). Retrieved November 06, 2020, from https://ramh.org/guide/gender-differences-in-mental-health/

Mental health: Strengthening our response. (n.d.). Retrieved November 06, 2020, from https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/mental-health-strengthening-our-response