Department of Mental Health and Substance Dependence Gender Disparities in Mental Health World Health Organization

ثبت نشده
چکیده

This paper examines current evidence regarding rates, risk factors, correlates and consequences of gender disparities in mental health. Gender is conceptualized as a structural determinant of mental health and mental illness that runs like a fault line, interconnecting with and deepening the disparities associated with other important socioeconomic determinants such as income, employment and social position. Gender differentially affects the power and control men and women have over these socioeconomic determinants, their access to resources, and their status, roles, options and treatment in society. Gender has significant explanatory power regarding differential susceptibility and exposure to mental health risks and differences in mental health outcomes. Gender differences in rates of overall mental disorder, including rare disorders such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorders, are negligible. However, highly significant gender differences exist for depression, anxiety and somatic complaints that affect more than 20% of the population in established economies. Depression accounts for the largest proportion of the burden associated with all the mental and neurological disorders and is a particular focus of this paper. It is predicted to be the second leading cause of global burden of disease by 2020. To address this mounting problem, a much improved understanding of the gender dimensions of mental health is mandatory. Evidence is available on some aspects of the problem but serious gaps remain. It is known that: • Rates of depression vary markedly between countries suggesting the importance of macrosocial factors. Nevertheless, depression is almost always reported to be twice as common in women compared with men across diverse societies and social contexts. • Despite its high prevalence, less than half the patients with depression disorder are likely to be identified by their doctors in primary care settings. Gender differences in patterns of help seeking and gender stereotyping in diagnosis compound difficulties with identification and treatment. Female gender predicts being prescribed psychotropic drugs. Even when presenting with identical symptoms, women are more likely to be diagnosed as depressed than men and less likely to be diagnosed as having problems with alcohol. • Men predominate in diagnoses of alcohol dependence with lifetime prevalence rates of 20% compared with 8% for women, reported in population based studies in established economies. However, depression and anxiety are also common comorbid diagnoses, highlighting the need for gender awareness training to overcome gender stereotypes and promote accurate diagnosis of both depression and alcohol dependence in men and women if they are …

برای دانلود رایگان متن کامل این مقاله و بیش از 32 میلیون مقاله دیگر ابتدا ثبت نام کنید

ثبت نام

اگر عضو سایت هستید لطفا وارد حساب کاربری خود شوید

منابع مشابه

the role of forgiveness and gender in predictability of mental health among agings from shahrekord

Aim: This study was accomplished to predict mental health and its dimensions based on forgiveness and gender variables in the aging of Shahrekord. The study population comprised of aging in Shahrekord city, and a sample of 120 agings in Aftab, Khane Jahandidegan, and Farhikhtegan senior centers was selected with purposive sampling. , Method: In this study, The World Health Organization Mental H...

متن کامل

رابطه سلامت روان و کیفیت زندگی در افراد وابسته به مواد

Introduction: Substance dependents encounter with many problems which cause confusion in their quality of life. Method: This survey is a descriptive-analytical study. In this survey 150 persons of substance dependents who refer to addiction recovery centers at Rasht were selected by available sampling method. Information was collected via mental health questionnaire (GHQ-28) and quality of life...

متن کامل

Cross-National Diffusion of Mental Health Policy

Background Following the tenets of world polity and innovation diffusion theories, I focus on the coercive and mimetic forces that influence the diffusion of mental health policy across nations. International organizations’ mandates influence government behavior. Dependency on external resources, namely foreign aid, also affects governments’ formulation of national policy. And finally, mounting...

متن کامل

Enhancing Mental Health Research Publication from Low and Middle-Income Countries

Co-ordinator, Mental Health: Evidence and Research Medical Officer, Mental Health: Evidence and Research, Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse, WHO, Geneva *Correspondence: Shekhar Saxena, Coordinator, Mental Health: Evidence and Research, Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse, World Health Organization, Geneva 27, CH 1211, Switzerland Email: [email protected] Tel : +41 22 79...

متن کامل

Gender Differences Among Patients With Hepatitis C Virus Undergoing Rehabilitation Through Methadone Maintenance Treatment

Objectives: Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) is a health problem among patients undergoing rehabilitation through methadone maintenance treatment in Iran, the most populous Persian Gulf country. The study aimed to examine gender differences among a group of methadone maintenance treatment patients with HCV problem. Methods: Overall 150 patients (n=75 men, n=75 women) were enrolled from nine methadone c...

متن کامل

ذخیره در منابع من


  با ذخیره ی این منبع در منابع من، دسترسی به آن را برای استفاده های بعدی آسان تر کنید

عنوان ژورنال:

دوره   شماره 

صفحات  -

تاریخ انتشار 2002