Women's Depression

Studies shows that a lot of women have been suffering depression in comparison with men. Though there are a number of theories asserting why this is the case, no single explanation could be accounted as the source of women’s agony.

Scholars claim that possible causes of women’s depression are: first, the hormonal changes that are happening in their body; second her loss of self satisfaction; and third the roles that she has to play.There are certain instances wherein the estrogen levels within a woman’s body depletes hence causing depressive rates and vasomotor instability. However these instances normally happen to those women at the menopausal stages of their lives. Closely related with these are women’s perception of their selves- weather they are aesthetically pleasing or not.

The gradual loss of women’s self contentment and self admiration could also be the source of depression. Eating disorders such as that of Bulimia Nervosa- an act wherein a woman keeps on eating amounts of food that are relatively huge and then right after feels the urgent desire to puke is one of the consequences of the loss of self satisfaction. In relation with this, Anorexia Nervosa, a sickness wherein a woman who although still in an ideal weight, desires to keep her weight even lower, hence also indulges in plurging.

Identity roles are also seen as those accounting to the depression of women- the role of being a mother, a sister, a wife, a worker, a caretaker has been the source of personal turmoil. These roles that women has to play due to societal and even self expectations further added to the pain that women have to deal with because of the feeling of being trapped in a maze that they simply find it hard to escape since such involves the people whom they cared for the most.

More often than not, women are found to be in tuned with their passions- a number of things that women has a direct effect on their emotional and healthy psychological state. The capacity of woman’s brain to recall emotions more keenly relative to men, are one of the reasons why moments in a woman’s life such as failure, loss, neglect, and its likes have such an intense effect on their selves.

On another perspective, various critics of feminism argues that the trend which asserts that women being equal with men are one of the major reasons why higher expectations are given to women, and the latter when failed to live with these said expectations suffer from a state of the lack of self worth. One of the main mistakes of women is the tendency of projecting a superwoman role wherein she thinks, believes and projects that she can do anything. For instance, women’s capacity for multitasking such as being a housewife, a girlfriend, a sister plus being a worker, a boss, a social worker, a teacher, a student; plus being a best friend, a friend, an active member of an organization and the likes further added to the stress that she has to deal with her everyday. The projection of women empowerment has placed a lot of burden on the shoulders of women- a burden that not even the toughest of men could ever handle. Some women who are determined and has a strong self will are able to put through with these challenges- but there will always be instances wherein she feels that she is like trapped in a maze that she is required to finish with flying colors.

Strong-willed women’s tendency is not to give up- but to push her self even more. She tends to rationalize the events in her life and seeks to erase her natural human inclination- her passions. In the event that the clash of unequal forces are already too strong, she succumbs to the state of depression that it could be the case that it is she who only knows, and in her fervent attempts to project a strong and competitive image, she slowly fades away to a self that she never knew at all.