According To OB-GYNs, 4 In 10 Women Suffer From This Issue
by Lynn Maleh
Ready for a shocking statistic?
According to a study of over a hundred OB-GYNs, 4 out of 10 women are facing some kind of mental health issue.
Here’s one way to wrap your head around those numbers: imagine 10 of your girlfriends in a room (ugh, sounds like a fairy tale in the age of quarantine). Now try to imagine that 4 of those beautiful, incredible, kind, generous women are struggling internally with something they may or may not be able to pinpoint.
Maybe one of those women is you.
While men and women are prone to many of the same mental health conditions, there is a reason the prevalence of mental illness is higher among women than men. The physical and societal implications that come with just, you know, being a woman, are enough to make 40% of us diagnosably ill.
Curious how being a woman is impacting your mental health? Here are 6 common mental illnesses women may develop as a result of simply belonging to their gender:
1. Women are twice as likely as men to be diagnosed with depression and anxiety.
A truly fun thing about being a uterus-having woman is that our risk of depression and anxiety increases with hormonal changes, our periods, and biological milestones (i.e. puberty, pregnancy, and menopause).
According to Nurse Practitioner and Certified Health Coach Michele Herrmann, uterus-having women only really get two good weeks a month.
“In the first two weeks, after a woman’s period, when her estrogen is climbing, a woman is better equipped to manage cortisol levels (the stress hormone),” says Herrmann. “In the second half of a woman’s cycle (luteal and menses phases), cortisol levels increase, making her more prone to mood swings.”
Because female hormones, such as estrogen, are believed to explain the higher rate of depression and anxiety in some women, women can be more likely than men to experience depressive symptoms (like lack of motivation and energy) as well as anxiety (think: excessive worry and restlessness).
2. If you have a uterus, you are susceptible to premenstrual dysphoric disorder.
Premenstrual dysphoric disorder, also known as PMDD, is a condition that affects millions of women. You can think of it as the hormonal depression and anxiety cycle we already mentioned, but on steroids.
If your cycle is contributing to physical and mental symptoms that seem more severe than usual, you should get in touch with your healthcare provider to discuss possible therapy and medication treatments.
3. Peripartum & postpartum depression is reserved for child-bearing women.
What is often diminished as “baby blues,” these two types of depression affect 18-19% of childbearing women. Peripartum depression refers to depression during the pregnancy phase, and postpartum refers to depression that occurs after childbirth.
Postpartum depression results from a combination of hormonal changes, as well as the stress and sleep deprivation associated with caring for a new baby. New and expectant mothers are at even higher risk if they lack social support, have a history of depressive tendencies, or face turbulence with their partner(s).
4. Women are 2x more likely to develop eating disorders than men.
According to the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA), 20 million of the 30 million eating disorder cases in the US belong to women.
“It’s tempting to see it just as a cultural phenomenon or a socio-cultural phenomenon, but I think when we get to it and we really have the tools to understand it, we’re going to see that it’s a complex interaction between the biology of being female,” writes Dr. Douglas Bunnell, a clinical psychologist and Chief Clinical Officer at Monte Nido Eating Disorder Treatment Centers.
Bunnel points to the objectification and early sexualization of women as a cause of eating disorders, as well as a culture that promotes a thin body ideal among females.
5. Around one in 10 women will develop PTSD in her lifetime.
Post Traumatic Stress disorder, or PTSD, refers to symptoms, such as nightmares, flashbacks, hyper-vigilance, or emotional numbness, that occur in response to trauma.
While women are more likely to suffer from it than men, they tend to take longer to seek out treatment. In fact, on average, women will wait about four years before addressing the issue.
6. More than 15% of women in the US turned to illicit drugs in the past year.
While men may be more prone to substance abuse than women, women face their own unique set of challenges in response to alcohol or drug use.
According to Emily Guarnotta PsyD, female hormones may make some women more sensitive to certain drugs. “Women who abuse drugs or alcohol may be at greater risk for physical and mental health problems and at a higher likelihood of overdose when compared to men. Women are also more prone to become addicted to substances when using even small amounts.”
Guarnotta suggests that women’s busy schedules (i.e. balancing work, childcare, and household responsibilities) as well as the shame they associate with substance abuse may prevent them from getting the treatment they need. This can be especially true for pregnant women.
The takeaway? Tbh, I spent most of my time writing this article ironically humming Rodger and Hammerstein’s, “I Enjoy Being A Girl.” Leave it to two men to write a song about how much uterus-having women enjoy “being dressed in something frilly” rather than mentioning the hormonal imbalances that make us feel bonkers at least two weeks out of every month.
Fortunately, there are ways to get help. Guarnotta recommends speaking with your health care practitioner (whether primary doctor or OB-GYN) and seeking out a therapist if you believe you may be suffering from any of these conditions.
Alternatively, and depending on your situation, you may want to familiarize yourself with substance abuse or behavioral health programs, virtual addiction recovery groups, support associations (like The Anxiety and Depression Association of America and the National Alliance on Mental Illness), and helplines.
Lynn Maleh is a Syrian-American writer and comedian based in Los Angeles. By day, she writes online content, and by night she performs standup. See more of her articles here.
