Prevent Disease.com - No One Cause for Women's Higher Depression Rates



		No One Cause for Women's Higher Depression Rates Excerpt By Charnicia E. Huggins, Reuters Health NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Depression is twice as common among adolescent and adult females as among their male counterparts, but the reason why has not yet been fully explained. Now after reviewing various studies on the topic, a Michigan researcher reports that the gender difference is probably due to an interaction between biological, psychological and social factors. ``There is no single reason for women's greater vulnerability (to depression),'' Dr. Susan Nolen-Hoeksema of the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, told Reuters Health. Biological and psychological reactions to stress, as well as social factors, like oppression, all work together to promote higher levels of depression among females, she said. Her findings are based on a review of more than 10 studies on the topic. Women may be more vulnerable than men to stressful life events that can contribute to depression, such as victimization, sexual harassment on the job, and ``burn-out'' due to numerous family and workplace responsibilities, Nolen-Hoeksema reports in the October issue of Current Directions in Psychological Science. In adolescence, girls' increased depression may be caused by intensified social pressure to conform to their gender role, Nolen-Hoeksema notes. This pressure includes a real or perceived reduction in opportunities and choices, tighter restriction on behavior than faced by their male peers, and lowered expectations in comparison with adolescent boys, studies suggest. Besides this increased vulnerability to particular stressors, study findings suggest that females may also react differently than men to common stressors. Biologically, the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis is the part of the nervous system that regulates levels of cortisol and other hormones in the stress responses of both males and females. Some researchers have suggested that women are more likely to have a dysregulated HPA stress response. This dysregulation may consequently make females more prone to becoming depressed in response to stress. Adolescent females and adults also appear more likely than their male counterparts to cope with stress inwardly rather than relieving themselves of the distress outwardly, research shows. Depression can and should be treated with psychotherapy, medication when appropriate, or changes in the affected person's environment, Nolen-Hoeksema said. ``Fortunately, depression can be reduced by targeting several different biological, social or psychological problems a woman might have,'' she added. SOURCE: Current Directions in Psychological Science 2001;10:173-176. Reference Source 89 For more information on how to prevent other diseases, use PreventDisease.com's "Quick Prevention Resources".