Can it really be true that a quarter of women in America are on some sort of regular “psychiatric medication?”. A QUARTER OF THE FEMALE POPULATION??? A report from MedCo published last week notes that 25% of US women take meds for depression, anxiety, ADHD or another mental disorder. In men, that number is 15%. One article notes that more and more women have been prescribed anti-depressants in the past decade, and that nearly twice as many women are on anti-anxiety treatment as their male counterparts.
One doctor’s explanation behind the disparity: “women might be more likely to seek help”.
I’m not sure what the statistics are in the UK, but surely this can’t be right? Why is the figure so high? Why are more women than men on medication? How come it’s increasing so quickly? Is it because the drugs are simply more accessible? Or the doctors more willing to prescribe them? Or is there a significant and valid decline in women’s mental health in general? Is it a blip owing to the fact that the global economy is a mess and world news is depressing? What about in other countries where there are also major economic issues – Japan for example? How many anti-depressants do they take? Anybody know?
SusannahS
November 26, 2011I wouldn’t presume to speak for all Americans, but I was born into a family with a significant history of mental illness, but only in the females. Genetic predisposition? I was diagnosed with severe depression when I was 19 (after spending two weeks in bed and almost failing a full semester of college) but I began experiencing panic attacks at least two years before the depressive episodes. My great-great grandfather, my great-grandfather and my grandfather were all physicians so I was very fortunate in that they were educated enough to not attach any stigma to our issues. My great-grandmother, my mother, my aunt and one of my cousins are all bipolar(originally called Manic Depressive Disorder), another two cousins also suffer clinical depression and one cousin is hypomanic (she is consistently in the euphoric arc, but it is physically wearing on her body because she is addicted to the endorphin-high that comes from running.) Only one male (one of my depressed cousins)
In my experiences from attending support groups, I would say that women seeking treatment easily outnumber the men 3-to-1.
Men, especially Gen Xers and older, are supposed to be strong and not show weakness. It’s a macho thing. Very unfair in my opinion.
So, in my non-expert but know-it-all opinion, I would say that women are probably more prone to mental illness, but for the men who are, only a few actually seek treatment. A lot probably self-medicate with alcohol and drugs.
Family Affairs
November 27, 2011Gosh. That is really interesting. Thank you for letting me know your family history x
John
August 14, 2012The scary part is that 75% aren’t on medication.
Family Affairs
August 14, 2012ha ha