A 2017 Psychological Bulletin meta-analysis pooled data on more than 3.5 million people from over 90 countries. The gap between girls and boys is already visible at age 12, and adult women experience depression almost twice as often. The same year, a review in The Lancet Psychiatry by Christine Kuehner confirmed a similar ratio.
Why life transitions in particular
Kuehner suggests that developmental factors linked to life transitions may contribute most to the gap. A woman’s life has many of them: puberty, pregnancy, the postpartum period and perimenopause, each accompanied by large hormonal changes. At the same time, she notes that data on specific risk factors are still limited, and that social and cultural change also shapes the gap.
What this means for you
- Depression is an illness, not a weakness of character, and it is treatable.
- Pay attention to yourself and the women close to you during times of hormonal change, and to daughters from about age 12.
- If sadness or loss of interest lasts longer than two weeks, contact your GP or a mental health service.
Sources
- Salk R. H., Hyde J. S., Abramson L. Y. (2017). Gender differences in depression in representative national samples: meta-analyses of diagnoses and symptoms. Psychological Bulletin, 143(8), 783–822. doi:10.1037/bul0000102
- Kuehner C. (2017). Why is depression more common among women than among men? The Lancet Psychiatry, 4(2), 146–158. doi:10.1016/S2215-0366(16)30263-2