Depression in Women

Depression is a state where an individual starts feeling sad, helpless and alone. There are different types of depression an individual feels. Women also feel different types of depression and they are more prone to depression than men. However the pattern, symptoms and signs are often different. Most of the time women do not recognize their depression and ignore it which consequently increases.

Signs and Symptoms of Depression in Women

Most of the women will definitely go for treatment if they could recognize the signs and symptoms of depression. The duration of these symptoms depend on individuals. So, here are signs and symptoms of depression in women:

• Feeling sad, blue and helpless all the time
• Feel hopeless and worthless
• Anxiety and restlessness
• Stay alone and silent
• Low energy and fatigue
• Lose interest in daily activities and hobbies
• Over eating or Lose appetite
• Aches and pain in body such as headache, back pain etc
• Insomnia or excessive sleep
• Physical weakness
• Digestive problems
• Negative thoughts and withdrawing behavior
• Hard to concentrate and remembering things
• Difficulty in making decisions
• Thoughts of suicide or death

These are the warning signs of depression that you should understand and treat as early as possible

Causes of Depression in Women

There are various factors that contribute to the increased risk of depression in women. It could be biological, hormonal, physical, psychological, environmental or social factors.

Following are the causes of depression in women which will help you to understand depression and treat it accordingly:

• Genetic: Women who have family history of depression are more likely to have the risk of developing mental disorder. However it is not compulsory.
• Chemical: Brain has chemicals which are responsible for mood and behavior of individual. Imbalance in this chemical causes depression, sadness and low feelings.
• Hormones: Sometimes change in hormones disturbs the balance of the chemical in head and then women feel depressed and sad.
• Premenstrual dysphoric disorder: The experience of mood swing, anxiety, depression and irritability before a week of menstruation is known as premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD). It is the depression in pregnancy.
• Postpartum Depression: After giving birth to child, women face hormonal and physical change and the responsibility of baby. Some women experience a period of mood swing which is known as "baby blues" but some of them suffer from postpartrum depression.
• Menopause: Some of the women experience increased risk of depression during hormonal change when transition takes place from pre-menopause to menopause.
• Stress: Depression in women can be caused because of some stressful period like divorce, illness, death, job etc.
• Environment: Women who haven't had a healthy environment as child or had faced some violence and abuse in childhood are at an increased risk of depression.

Treatment of Depression in Women:

There are two different types of treatment for depression in women.

• Psychotherapy
• Medication

Psychotherapy: Psychotherapy is the way to improve your behavior, to control your anger and anxiety. It includes many therapies which help you to overcome your psychological problems such as cognitive behavioral and behavioral therapy. Doctors suggest you to attend the therapies for a period of time and they observe your behavior. Psychotherapy makes great impact on many people in depression. It is a better way to treat without any side effects.

Medication: On one hand we have psychotherapy which do not have any side effects but work slowly and on the other hand we have medication which work faster but have some side effects like insomnia or drowsiness. There are various types of Antidepressants available in market but one should always consult doctor before opting for medication. There are many different antidepressant side effects could effect you like insomnia, excessive sleep, weakness etc.

Some doctors go with the combination of medication and therapy for depression in women because hormonal and chemical changes in women occur from time to time. They could be controlled with antidepressants and behavior can be improved with the help of therapies.
Resources for Fighting Depression:

• Self Help for Depression
• End Depression Now
• Conquer Stress, Depression & Anxiety