This psychiatry weblog, authored by two Harvard University-trained psychiatrists and former lecturers at Harvard Medical School, offers you psychiatric news and commentary about brain disorders, mental dysfunction, psychological illness, and mental health wellness.
Mental health professionals have long debated about the relationship
between marital stress and the mental health of women. An article published in
Medical News Today March 5, 2009, “Marital Strain Harms Women More Than Men,”
examines this issue. The article reports on a study presented at the American
Psychosomatic Society's 2009 annual meeting in Chicago. The researchers studied, “…276
couples who had been married for an average of 20 years and were aged between
40 and 70 years….The participants filled in several questionnaires…covering
positive aspects of marriage quality (eg mutual support, emotional warmth,
friendliness, confiding in each other), negative aspects of marriage quality
(eg arguments, hostility, disagreements) and symptoms of depression (not
necessarily full blown clinical depression)…
The participants also underwent physical exams where blood pressure, waist
measurement, good cholesterol, fasting glucose and blood fats were measured.”
The results of the study were concerning. “….Women who reported more marital
strain had more metabolic syndrome symptoms, and that association can be
explained by the fact they also reported more depressive symptoms." There
are several important implications of this study. First, adult married women who
are experiencing significant marital stress should consult a qualified mental
health professional to determine their current and future risk of medical
disorders. Second, mental health professionals who treat adult married women
who report marital stress should routinely screen for medical problems in these
patients. Third, spouses of adult married women who are experiencing marital
stress should educate themselves with the help of a qualified mental health
professional to understand they can help their spouse reduce marital stress. Fourth,
public health professionals should educate the public about the link between marital
stress and medical disorders. The researchers conclude, “….improving aspects of
intimate relationships might help [a woman’s] emotional and physical
well-being".
The Bottom Line:
The results of this study strongly suggest marital stress can harm a woman’s
health.
Sources: See blogposts in Psychiatric Disorders: General
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Mental health professionals have long wondered about the
relationship between childhood sexual abuse and adult mental health. An article
published in Medical News Today June 9, 2009, “'Strong Link' Between Childhood
Sexual Abuse And Suicide Attempts In Women,” examines this issue. The article
reports on the results of a study presented at the Annual Meeting of the Royal
College of Psychiatrists in Liverpool. The
researchers studied, “…..data from the 2000 National Psychiatric Morbidity
Survey.” The results of the study were concerning. “…sexual abuse was three
times more common in women than men - some 1.6 per cent of men report sexual
abuse, compared to 5.2 per cent of women….Women attempt to kill themselves more
often than men (3.5 per cent of women compared to 5.1 per cent of women) and the
number of suicide attempts attributable to sexual abuse was stronger in women
than men….sexual abuse in childhood made women far more likely than men to
attempt suicide…women react to trauma more strongly than men, perhaps
accounting for the strong link between sexual abuse and suicide.” There are a
number of important implications of this study. First, adult women with
childhood sexual abuse histories should consult a qualified mental health
professional to determine their current and future risk of suicidal thinking.
Second, mental health professionals who treat adult women with childhood sexual
abuse histories should routinely screen for suicidal thinking in these
patients. Third, spouses of adult women with childhood abuse histories should
educate themselves with the help of a qualified mental health professional to
understand the current and future risk of suicide in these women. Fourth, public
health professionals should educate the public about the link between childhood
sexual abuse and the risk of suicide in adult women. The researchers state,
“….[Women] who have been sexually abused have low self esteem, ironically blame
themselves for the abuse, and all their levels of confidence about all sorts of
things are reduced…Lowering your self esteem like that is associated with all
sorts of mood symptoms and these are the bed out of which arises suicidal
ideation. A proportion of those will then go on to attempt suicide and of those
some will be successful."
The researchers conclude, “…psychiatrists [must] deal with the issue of sexual
abuse in a more forceful way…finding out whether a patient had been sexually
abused opened up the possibility of treatment, as there were specific ways a
psychiatrist could intervene and help….The patient may have post-traumatic
stress disorder and you can treat that; they may have low self esteem and you
can address that too and you might make life better for that person and they
will be less inclined to think of suicide."
The Bottom Line:
The results of this study strongly suggest that childhood sexual abuse
increases the risk of suicide in adult women.
Sources: See blogposts in Psychiatric Disorders: General
Additional Resources:
For related articles on the
Web, click on: “Sphere: Related Content” located at the bottom of this
blog post.
For related books or blog
posts with related content in Dr. Jeff’s and Dr. Tanya’s Blog type in the
keywords into “Google Search” located in
the sidebar.
For more books with related
content, type in the keywords into “Amazon
Search” on the Amazon banner located in the side bar.
Mental illnesses affect women and men differently — some disorders
are more common in women, and some express themselves with different
symptoms. Scientists are only now beginning to tease apart the
contributions of various biological and psychosocial factors to mental
health and mental illness in both women and men. In addition,
researchers are currently studying the special problems of treatment
for serious mental illness during pregnancy and the postpartum period.
The mental disorders affecting women include the following:
Anxiety Disorders, including OCD, panic, PTSD, social phobia, and generalized anxiety disorders.
For related articles on women and mental health on the Web, click on:
“Sphere: Related Content” located at the bottom of this blog post.
For related books or blog posts with related content in Dr. Jeff’s and Dr. Tanya’s Blog, type in the keyword “women and mental health” into “Google Search” located in the sidebar.
For related articles from Psychology Today, click on the “Psychology
Today” banner in the side bar and type in the keyword, “women and mental health” into the Psychology Today “Search”.
For more books with related content, click any hyperlinked keyword in
the blog or type in the keyword, “women and mental health" into “Amazon
Search” on the Amazon banner located in the side bar.
Sources: National
Institute of Mental Health, See blogposts in: Psychiatry: Women
Mental
health professionals have long debated the relationship between depression and
exercise during pregnancy. An article in Medical News Today (8/4/08), examines
this issue. The article reports on a recent study published in the Annals of Behavioral Medicine. The
researchers surveyed 230 women during pregnancy and postpartum, inquiring about
exercise routines and symptoms of depression. The results were interesting.
“Women who reported more depressive symptoms during the first trimester tended
to engage in less exercise behavior in early pregnancy. In addition, women who
exercised more prior to their pregnancy had greater body satisfaction during
the second and third trimesters and less depressive symptoms in the second
trimester, which suggests that avid pre-pregnancy exercise might protect women
from negative depressive symptoms and body dissatisfaction during mid-to-late
pregnancy.” The researchers noted that “The American College of Sports Medicine
recommends that healthy pregnant women without obstetric complications engage
in 30 minutes of moderate exercise most, if not all, days of the week.” The
results of this study suggest that regular pre-pregnancy exercise may help
protect against depression during pregnancy, and that first trimester
depression is associated with low levels of exercise.
The Bottom Line: The
results of this study suggest that exercise is associated with lower levels of
depression during pregnancy.
For related articles on depression on the Web, click on: “Sphere: Related Content” located at the bottom of this blog post.
For related books or blog posts with related content in Dr. Jeff’s and Dr. Tanya’s Blog, go to “Psychiatric Disorders: Depression” or type in the keyword “depression” into “Google Search” located in the sidebar.
For related articles from Psychology Today,
click on the “Psychology Today” banner in the side bar and type in the
keyword, “depression” into the Psychology Today “Search”.
For more books with related content, click any hyperlinked keyword in
the blog or type in the keyword, “depression” into “Amazon Search” on
the Amazon banner located in the side bar.
Sources: See blogposts in Psychiatric Disorders: Depression
Mental health professionals have long wondered about the
positive effects of stable marriages on women’s health. A recent article in
Clinical Psychiatric News (8/08) examines this issue. The article reports on a
study that surveyed 1,938 married women and 997 unmarried women. The results of
the study were interesting. “Overall, most of the married women (83%) were
categorized as “happily married” in their current marriages, based on
single-item scores in the 4-7 range on the 7-point Likert scale…Overall, 45% of
the unhappily married women and 40% of the unmarried women met the insomnia criteria,
compared with 30% of the happily married women. The unhappily married and
unmarried women were significantly more likely to report three or more insomnia
symptoms, compared with the happily married women.” This study supports that idea that happily
married women sleep better.
The Bottom Line: The
results of this study support the idea that happily married women sleep better.
