More research is being done into the area of women’s mental health, as scientists discover that the types of mental health problems that affect women are different to those commonly found in men.
Mental illness can have a significant effect on women’s wellness. Some mental illnesses can even start to have physical effects on other parts of a woman’s body and be detrimental to her general health and wellbeing, including her ability to reproduce.
Disorders such as anxiety and depression are more common in women than men, and women also show different symptoms to men, even when suffering from the same illnesses. Women are also more likely to suffer from OCD, bipolar disorder, personality disorders, social phobias and eating disorders than men, although of course all of these illnesses are also found in men, just to a lesser extent.
In some cases, where mental and physical illnesses occur side by side, it can be difficult to assess which is the leading cause. For example, has somebody developed a mental illness due to the difficult emotions caused by a physical illness, or has a mental illness had a detrimental effect on a person’s health to the extent that it has developed into a physical illness too? What we do know is that women who have chronic health problems are at a higher risk for mental illness, and that mental illness also comes with a risk of other health conditions such as migraines or obesity.
Reproductive health is another area that can be affected by mental health problems. Stress, as well as issues such as anxiety and depression, can create hormonal imbalances in the body. This in turn can lead to disruption in the menstrual cycle and make it more difficult to conceive. The hormones of pregnancy itself, as well as the hormones created during the menopause, can also lead to mental health problems.
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