Analysis by clinical psychologist, Professor Daniel Freeman has setwomen are up to 40 per cent muchseemingto develop mental health problems than men.
The searchwas based on 12 epidemiological studies from Europe, America, New Zealand and Australia.
Freeman’s study identifies women as more or less75 per cent more likely than men to makeuphaving recently suffered from depression, and around 60 per cent more likely to report an anxiety disorder.
The study identifies men as deviland half times more likely to report substance-misuse disorders.
Professor freemansaid that because the conditions most alterwomen were more common than those affecting men, overall mental health conditions were more common in women than in men, by a factor of 20 per cent to 40 per cent.
The differences reported in the types of conditions are interesting.
Professor Freeman said: “There is a pattern within – women tend to suffer more from what we cover‘internal’ problems like depression or sleep problems,
“They take break throughproblems on themselves, as it were, where men have externalising problems, where they take things out(a)on their environment, such as alcohol and anger problems.”
He added that in that locationwas likely a complex mixture of factors contributing to the differences betwixtthe genders – related not only tophysiologicor biologicfactors, but society, too.
Recent stories published on Women’s Views on News battle arrayhow women in society today are far more likely than men to be juggling roles; to be exhaustingto achieve sustained employment and an appropriate work-life balance, and taking accountabilityfor childcare.
Professor Freeman said: “Where we think it has an effect is particularly on women’s self-assertionor self-worth: women tend to view themselves more negatively than men, and that is a vulnerability factor for many mental health problems.”
Freeman analysed 12 large-scale epidemiological studies carried out across the world since the ninetiesfor his new book The Stressed Sex, published by Oxford University Press.
The research is not a formal meta-analysis, regarded as the gold threadbareof evidence.
Freeman’s findings have been criticised by Professor Kathryn Abel, of the Centre for Women’s Mental healthat Manchester University.
She said that age was also a earthshakingfactor which should be considered with regard to the different ratios, particularly accustomedphysical and social changes at different stages of life.
She also notedthat much of the current data comes from the modern healthcare and allianceof the developed world where “stress” is lower for women and men than at approximatelyany point in history.
“In terms of survival, we’re not unresolvedto stress compared with our ancestors,” she said.
“It is estimated that over their lifetime nearly a dragof women will suffer a depressive illness.
“As a population, we are unbelievablyhealthy, and in spite of continuing inequalities, we have never had it so good: women are living longer and more healthily than constantlybefore – as are men.
“Some populations show lower rankof some of these arguably ‘stress-related’ disorders; in those countries women and men remain downstairsfar more hardship.”
She also criticised Freeman’s analysis by constructionthat when choosing studies for analysis, it was often too easy to choose only those thatsupportthe thesis.
Professor Abel also said that specific studies focusing on physiological factors in gendered mental health were currently limited.
It is also purposethat depression and anxiety in men has been under-diagnosed because of men’s unwillingness to understandtheir GP with mental health problems and because they present with different symptoms.
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Materials taken from Womens Views on News
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