HYDERABAD: Whenever the topic has veered towards the differences between men and women during spirited discussions in our living rooms or even on the Internet, we have often heard that women are more ‘emotional’. It has been also found that they can be ‘moody’ or can ‘think too much’.
Do these stereotypes have any scientific footing? It does appear to be so. Studies have found that women are more susceptible to mood disorders and depression than men. According to a World Health Organisation (WHO) report titled ‘Gender Disparities in Mental Health’, unipolar or major depression occurs approximately twice as often in women as in men and is predicted to be the second leading cause of global disease burden by 2020.

Made to feel this way?
Are women wired to feel this way, or there are other societal and cultural factors that dictate how a woman must feel? Pragya Rashmi, a consultant psychologist, throws some light. “When we talk about depression, epidemiology shows that chances of occurrence are always higher among women.  It could be because of the hormonal make-up of a woman. Also, irrespective of whichever culture you belong to, society functions in a way that women are more stressed. The urban working woman, who is managing both office and household, is more stressed out. Her chances of depression are higher,” she says.

Her thoughts are echoed in a report by the Indian Journal of Psychiatry (titled Women Mental Health in India), which states: “The Indian culture is unique. Joint family system, patriarchy, mandatory marriage, subservient status of daughter-in-laws at home, preference for the male child, practice of dowry, lower educational status of women, strict code of conduct for women, and primary roles of women in parenting  significantly affect the occurrence, manifestations, treatment, and outcome of mental disorders in women of India.”

Niharika Bharadwaj, a single woman living in an Indian metropolis, says: “Even as more women are becoming educated and aware of opportunities, the pressure from families to marry and to live a traditional ‘settled’ life forces many women to literally live double lives. And managing such double lives can be very stressful. There is always the anxiety of discovery and a sense of disillusionment that can very easily grow into depressive feelings.”

The modern Indian woman paradox
As more and more women are becoming educated and joining the workforce, the expectations from a woman at home haven’t seen much change. It has been often found that women juggling home and career responsibilities face tremendous stress, with family members failing to provide much support.
Says Dr Jayanti Sundar Rajan, consultant psychologist at Roshni Counselling Centre, “Women are now brought up with this idea that they must have a career and a family. After marriage, they have to either keep their career on the backseat, or the marriage. This is now one of the main causes of depression among women. Secondly, a woman is often not given the recognition in a workplace which a man would be given. A woman also finds it difficult to cope when she has a baby and joins office after maternity leave. She realises that a lot of people have gone ahead.”

Economic status and violence

The economic status of women and the violence they face, both domestic and sexual, also determine the occurrence rate of depression among women. According to the report by Indian Journal of Psychiatry: “High degree of dependency of Indian husbands on their wives for food, home keeping and child rearing, because they are not apt in these activities, can be taken as a weakness, and a risk factor for perpetrating violence against wives. Also, women are often exposed to sexual violence, which leads to high rates of posttraumatic stress disorder.”

Says Dr Pragya Rashmi, “In lesser economies, women are not able to take care of their bodies. They take in less nutrition compared to the physical work they do. That messes up their health. Sleep, mood and anxiety are very closely related. Whenever a woman is anxious due to domestic violence or marital issues, she will have sleep and mood issues. That is why, women have higher mood disorders, apart from depression.”

What can be done

“Counselling goes a long way in reducing stress for women. When they talk to a psychologist, they understand that they don’t have to focus on every little thing. I tell women not to look for appreciation from others. You have to give yourself a pat on the back,” says Dr Jayanti.

Priya, who has suffered from depression herself, says: “More active awareness programmes should be implemented especially in places like academic institutions and workplaces, wherein everyone, not just the ones affected, are made aware of what the condition is and what its nuances are. People should realise that phrases like ‘cheer up’ or ‘just snap out of it’ are not going to help.”

As Dr Pragya puts it succinctly, “When partners share financial, social and domestic burdens equally, women are found to be much healthier. Support from family members and colleagues helps. When a woman is loved, she deals with life a lot better.  It’s no rocket science.”

—   Kakoli Mukherjee   kakoli_mukherjee
@newindianexpress.com
 @kakoliMukherje2