Beyond PMS: A History of Women’s Mental Health
The road to women’s rights has been a long one, and though it’s come a long way, the struggle for gender equality still leaves a lot to be desired. Mental health is an often overlooked field when discussing the roles of gender in society, but a history of sexism has influenced decades of women and their mental health. While history cannot be changed, it is of utmost importance to address these issues and move forward with initiative.
Women have been subjected to a variety of stressors that have been proven to be detrimental to mental health. Throughout history, women have been oppressed politically, economically, and socially, having been denied basic rights to vote or even to leave the house. Up until the 1900s, discrimination prevented women from obtaining an adequate education in the United States. Although the enactment of the Women's Educational Equity Act (WEEA) of 1974 changed this in America, other countries have not yet achieved education for all genders. UNICEF estimates that 129 million girls worldwide are out of school, with the gender gap especially large in conflict ridden countries such as Afghanistan and Syria.
Another factor with perhaps the greatest effect on women’s mental health is abuse. According to the National Center on Domestic Violence, Trauma & Mental Health, over half of women seeking treatment for mental health have suffered some sort of abuse from a partner. Domestic violence increases risk for many major mental illnesses including post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and anxiety. According to a study from PLOS One, “the odds of experiencing PTSD was about seven times higher for women who had been victims of domestic violence,” with depression rates rising by 2.7 times and suicidal thoughts 3.5 times.
Oversexualization is likewise detrimental to the mental health of women. Mental Health America cites sexual violence as a major trigger for a wide range of mental illnesses, and says that those with a history of rape or sexual harrassment are more likely to develop eating disorders, PTSD, substance abuse, and other serious mental health conditions.
Beyond actual violence, the way that women are portrayed in the media and treated in real life can have negative consequences on women’s mental health. In a survey of young women on social media, 96.4% reported the portrayal of women in the media as having a strong impact on their self esteem and mental health, and all expressed feeling pressure to look a certain way. Furthermore, 85.7% described the treatment of women in day-to-day life as also having a significant effect on their mental health.
There are several mental illnesses that are unique to the female gender. One of the more common ones is postpartum depression (PPD), which can develop any time during pregnancy to up to one year after giving birth. Severe, long lasting depression after childbirth is a growing struggle for new mothers and can interfere with childcare and the quality of everyday life. There are also several conditions caused by hormone changes of the female menstrual cycle. UNC’s Department of Psychiatry cites perinatal depression, premenstrual dysphoric disorder, and perimenopause-related depression as other menstrually-related mood disorders.
Gender equality and mental health are both still works in progress. There has been significant improvement in the way women are treated, but serious issues such as oversexualization and domestic violence still need to be addressed. These are not light topics, but it is important to invite in difficult conversation in order to see growth. Despite advancements in the past century, there is still a definitive need for improvements in the stigma and treatment of women’s mental health. The DCP3 is now calling for policy makers to expand evidence-based mental health care services, resolve social and cultural barriers, integrate mental health training and services into antenatal care and factor the needs of women at various ages in national mental health strategies.
Fortunately, more and more women are seeking help when needed and using their voices to speak up against injustice, which is the sort of action that invites change for the generations of women to come. As we move forward, it is crucial that we think about the language used to describe women and the media we choose to consume. Taking social media breaks can be a great way for women to protect their mental health. Learning the warning signs that often accompany trauma, abuse, eating disorders and other mental health conditions and normalizing treatment are also important steps toward improving the mental health of women.