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Said mental disorders usually affect thousands of human beings every year. But what can end up generating them? Well, there are several factors for you to develop a mental disorder, such as genetic disposition, stress level , changes in the functioning of your brain or even factors that influence your emotions such as disappointments that generate a state of continuous sadness.
As you can see, in some cases it is possible to predict and prevent the mental disorder from developing, but there are also cases where it is inevitable that one of them will hit you. Some situations and certain disorders are more likely in women, for example.
How to Differentiate Mental Disorder from Mental Illness
It is necessary to know how to differentiate a mental disorder from a mental illness. These are two things that are constantly confused, not by chance, as they look the same, but when we analyze more deeply, we realize the crucial differences.
While the disease has a biological origin, the disorder has a psychological origin , which means that there is a very big difference in its treatments. However, some disorders can be manifestations of diseases, such as depression, for example.
When talking about women’s health , it is soon thought that there are some specific diseases, or that they affect women more than men. This is true, depression, for example, is the greatest example of this, affecting many more women than men.
There are several causes for these disorders to manifest themselves more frequently in female bodies, but there are also treatments for you to be able to control them all and live a full and peaceful life.
Major Female Disorders
Among the most common mental disorders in women are:
- Depression
- Anxiety disorder
- Premenstrual dysphoric disorder
- Posttraumatic stress disorder
Depression
Depression is the most common disorder in the world and affects up to three times more women than men. The main symptoms of depression are:
Symptoms of Depression
- Anxiety
- Changes in mood
- Sleep problems
- Excessive fatigue or hunger
- Lack of concentration
- Suicidal thoughts
The reasons for this disorder to occur are, in most cases, hormonal dysfunctions , which are more common in women due to the constant changes in the body throughout life with the menstrual cycle, pregnancy and even menopause .
What is the treatment?
The treatment of depression is basically based on drugs such as antidepressants and, in some cases with the help of anxiolytics, since excessive anxiety can be one of the consequences of depression. The accompaniment of a psychologist is essential for the treatment to have a complete effect.
Anxiety disorder
Anxiety is one of the most common mental disorders in humans , especially in women. It can be a consequence of depression, but it also often appears alone and can cause complications in the life of those who develop this type of disorder.
About two-thirds of the people who develop this type of disorder are women and the hormonal factor again contributes a lot to these high data.
Anxiety is not always a disorder , we all have it at some level. Normally, it is considered something harmful when it begins to affect an individual’s life and prevent that person from carrying out common everyday activities.
IMPORTANT: As the diagnosis of this type of disorder is very difficult to make, always see a doctor to make sure that you are really developing an anxiety disorder and not just going through a very stressful time.
What is the treatment?
Treatment for anxiety disorder is very similar to that of depression. The use of anxiolytics combined with the correct accompaniment of a psychologist is the most recommended and usually soothes the symptoms of anxiety disorder without major problems.
Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder
By the name it may seem that we are talking about premenstrual tension, the famous PMS, but PMDD is something stronger and more serious. It can affect up to 10% of women and has symptoms that are similar to those of a conventional PMS, but much stronger. Some of them are:
Symptoms
- Anxiety
- Intense pain in the breasts
- Fluid retention
- Irritability
- Sleep and appetite disorders
Causes
The main cause of premenstrual dysphoric disorder is the change in transmission of neurotransmitters , which are responsible for making communication between the various sectors of the nervous system. Within neurotransmitters, the most affected is serotonin , which, when altered, stops inhibiting the symptoms that cause the disorder.
What is the treatment?
Although it occurs frequently, this disorder can be controlled with painkillers, vitamins, minerals and, in some more serious cases, the use of anxiolytics and antidepressants can also help in the treatment.
Posttraumatic stress disorder
It is a type of disorder that can affect both women and men, but it affects several women for different reasons. In this type of disorder specifically, in addition to the hormonal factor, there is also the social factor .
Domestic violence
Women are the main victims of domestic violence and rape cases, which means that the number of women with this type of disorder is greater than the number of men. The main symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder and are:
- Agitation and aggression
- Panic Attacks
- Insomnia or constant nightmares
- Acute stress
- Suicidal thoughts
- Extreme tension
Although the social factor is extremely relevant to the number of women who develop this disorder, many are also unaware that some women also develop post-traumatic stress disorder after a painful or traumatic delivery , which can affect even a next pregnancy.
What is the treatment?
Treatment for this type of disorder and, in most cases, strict psychological monitoring that can relieve the thoughts and traumas of the woman who develops the disorder. Sometimes the use of medications such as anxiolytics is also necessary, but each case must be evaluated individually in order to arrive at the best diagnosis.
As we can see, women in general have a great tendency to develop mental disorders and, in most cases, much more than men. This does not in any way mean that a woman’s life will necessarily be affected by some disorder that will prevent her from living a normal life.
Fortunately, almost all disorders have a peaceful treatment, which despite involving medication and psychological monitoring , show results and provide significant improvements in the lives of those who do them.
Seeing a doctor is the first thing you should do if you suspect that you may be developing any of these disorders or if you have these symptoms constantly. Never make diagnoses alone and under no circumstances take medication on your own. This type of attitude ends up harming and aggravating mental disorders, in addition to being able to harm your health in other ways.
See Also: Child Depression – Diagnosis and Treatment
My name is Dr. Alexis Hart I am 38 years old, I am the mother of 3 beautiful children! Different ages, different phases 16 years, 12 years and 7 years. In love with motherhood since always, I found it difficult to make my dreams come true, and also some more after I was already a mother.
Since I imagined myself as a mother, in my thoughts everything seemed to be much easier and simpler than it really was, I expected to get pregnant as soon as I wished, but it wasn’t that simple. The first pregnancy was smooth, but my daughter’s birth was very troubled. Joana was born in 2002 with a weight of 2930kg and 45cm, from a very peaceful cesarean delivery but she had already been born with congenital pneumonia due to a broken bag not treated with antibiotics even before delivery.
