Wendel Abel
Research has shown that mental disorders, such as depression, occur twice as frequently in women. Women also experience higher rates of trauma-related illnesses such as sexual violence, rape, sexual abuse and intimate partner violence, all of which may lead to posttraumatic stress disorder.
Data from a specialised (abuse and trauma) clinic in Jamaica indicate that the majority were females and the most common form of abuse was sexual abuse(91 per cent).
Gender differences also include vulnerability factors, service utilisation, health-seeking behaviour and differential caregiving responsibilities.
Gender and vulnerability to mental disorders
A United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) report cited women as constituting 70 per cent of the world's poor and women in the child rearing age are among the largest group living in poverty.
Mental-health risks associated with poverty include, low income, income inequality, low or subordinate social status, multiple roles, overwork, poor autonomy, reduced decision-making capacity, increased exposure to dangerous environments, increased exposure to violence and discrimination, severe events, increase in child rearing responsibility, social entrapment and unremitting responsibility for the care of others including the mentally ill.
Gender clearly determines the differential power and control men and women have over socio-economic determinants of their mental health, their access to treatment and susceptibility and exposure to mental health risks.
Given the fact that gender and poverty are co-terminus, especially in countries like Jamaica, further work needs to be done to look at the impact of gender and poverty on the mental health of women.
Differential gender responsibility
In Jamaica, about 60 per cent of households are headed by a single female. The Jamaican woman therefore finds herself in a position in which she assumes multiple roles in families. In addition, women assume the greatest caregiving responsibility for persons living with mental illness. These female caregivers are likely to suffer from depression, chronic stress and burnout.
Mental health and the elderly
Major depression and dementia are the main mental health conditions affecting the elderly. Older women are at increased risk for these disorders.
Treatment issues
Communication between health workers and patients is often authoritarian. Research has shown that women sometimes experience difficulty in disclosing psychological and emotional distress. As a result, women's mental health issues are often under-treated.
Address women's mental health issues
1. More research needs to be done to study the occurrence of mental disorders and to explore the mediating and protective factors among women.
2. There is a need to promote, formulate and implement health policies that address women's mental health issues, from childhood to old age.
3. There is a need to increase the competence of health care workers in detecting and treating common problems affecting women such as domestic violence, child abuse, sexual violence, chronic stress and posttraumatic stress disorder.
4. Greater efforts should be made to facilitate the development of family and support groups and resources should be provided to these groups to facilitate their operation.
Dr. Wendel Abel is a consultant psychiatrist and senior lecturer, University of the West Indies; email: yourhealth@gleanerjm.com.
