Nursing

Running Head: ARE WOMEN MORE SUSCEPTIBLE TO DEPRESSION THAN MEN?

An Explanation of Gender Difference: Twice as Many Women Are

Diagnosed with Depression Each Year Than Men.

California State University, Los Angeles

Bio/psych 388N, Spring 2008

Pengho, Honorine

Introduction

Depression is one of the greatest problems in our society today. For it affects approximately 18.8 million American adults or about 9.5% of the entire United States population each year (Kendler, pg 606). Depression is a serious medical condition that is much more than the temporal feeling of sadness, low energy, or even tiredness (NIMH, Web pg. 2& 3). It is defined as a psychiatric disorder characterized by an inability to concentrate, insomnia, loss of appetite, feelings of extreme sadness, disturbance in mood, guilt, sleep, decreased interest in pleasurable activities, helplessness and hopelessness or sometimes even thoughts of death (DSM-IV web Pgs. 1&2). Clinically speaking, a diagnosis of depression is made when one experiences a depressed mood or change in social activities for about two weeks and in addition has at least five of the of the above-stated signs and symptoms. Furthermore, these changes in mood must represent a change from the person's normal mood or impairs other important functioning (DSM-IV web Pgs. 1&2). Depression can develop in anyone, regardless of race, culture or even social class. However, across all cultures, women are more likely (2:1 ratio) than men to develop depression due to biological and psychological differences (Nolen, pg. 174).

Biological Differences

It is hypothesized that during puberty, hormones may alter moods, thus increasing a woman’s risk to depression (Niculescu, pg. 1083). According to...