Depression in Women

Is depression common in women?

Yes. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, more than 19 million people in the United States - 1 in 10 adults - experience depression each year. Women are twice as likely as men to experience depression. In fact, more than 6 million women experience depression each year.

What are the symptoms?

Doctors continue to learn about how women are affected by depression, but there are some common symptoms. If you're depressed, you may have some of these symptoms nearly every day, all day, for 2 weeks or longer:

• Feeling sad or crying a lot
  
• Losing interest or pleasure in things you used to enjoy (including sex)
  
• Feeling guilty, hopeless or worthless
  
• Thinking about death or suicide
  
• Sleeping too much, or not being able to go to sleep or stay asleep
  
• Losing your appetite and losing weight (or eating too much and gaining weight)
  
• Feeling very tired or slowed down
  
• Having trouble paying attention and making decisions
  
• Having aches and pains that don't get better with treatment
  

What causes depression?
Depression seems to be related to a chemical imbalance in the brain that makes it hard for the cells to communicate with one another. Stressful life events, such as the death of a loved one, a divorce or moving (such as leaving home to go to college), may lead to depression. Taking certain medicines, abusing drugs or alcohol, or having other illnesses can also cause depression.

Women with premenstrual syndrome (PMS) are more likely to become depressed. Depression is more common a week before a woman's period and in the weeks after a woman gives birth (this is called postpartum depression). In some women, taking birth control pills may cause symptoms of depression.

How is depression treated?

Depression can be treated with counseling, medicine or both. It's also important to take good care of yourself, to exercise regularly and to eat healthy foods. See the list of dos and don'ts later in this handout. Counseling alone may help if the depression isn't severe.

Antidepressant medicines are very effective in treating depression. There are many different kinds of antidepressants. Your doctor will decide which one is right for you. Medicine alone or medicine with counseling can help most women who have depression.

Some dos and don'ts when you're depressed