Why Women Are More Prone to Suffer from Depression Than Men

Several studies would show us that women are often more prone to depression as compared to men. About 10% to 25% of women will experience major episodes of depression in their lives. The higher rate of depression in women as compared to men is attributed to he changes in the female hormones, as she gets older. Hormone fluctuations is women is very common is especially during puberty, pregnancy, childbirth and menopausal stage.

As a girl enters into the puberty state, she will experience many changes in her body. Coping with these changes may be too much for her at times that she will feel depressed. Moreover, as a girl starts to menstruate, she may experience premenstrual syndrome (PMS), which is often characterized by emotional and physical symptoms. The most common emotional symptoms of PMS is irritability and mood swing. Studies show that about 75% of women experiences PMS and about 3-5% of these women would experience severe PMS, which will render them very emotional. PMS would usually start around 7 to 10 days before a woman would start menstruating. The more severe the PMS the more miserable the woman would feel during these periods. Since the normal menstrual cycle of women is once a month, you can expect a woman with severe PMS to suffer such condition almost every month. No wonder she ends up more prone to depressions than men!

Aside from the natural hormone changes in the body of females, there are also some factors that may cause depression in women. Studies show that during their prime years, women may experience depression as a side effect to the types of contraception that they are using. Some women who are using certain types of pills would sometimes develop depression over time. If you are one of those people who suspects that your pills are making you feel depressed, you better check with your doctor at once.

Another notable cause for depression in women is her body image. Social pressures could cause women to be depressed. By nature, women are more conscious about their looks than men. If a woman is slightly overweight, she could feel very inadequate and unattractive. According to studies, women who are not married and have some weight problems would often feel depressed about their situation. In most cases, women with weight problems would often see themselves as unattractive to the opposite sex, making them feel insecure. The more insecure a woman feels about her weight, the more prone she is to depressions.