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Gender Differences in Mental Health

Today I have a guest post from Ken Myers. Take it away, Ken!


Different Mental Health Concerns in Men and Women

Aside from the obvious physical characteristics, men and women differ greatly. Their thought processes, preferences, and struggles can vary wildly. Yet there are also individual differences within each gender. Here are some gender differences in mental health:

1. Alcohol and Other Drugs - Men are more prone to substance abuse, according to researchers. Our culture socializes men to avoid emotional expression, and sometimes they turn to alcohol and other drugs to suppress emotion.

2. Depression - Women are more prone to bouts with depression. Whereas men tend to deal with stress through externalizing problems (substance abuse, aggression, “acting out” behaviors), women tend to deal with stress by internalizing problems (low self-worth, depression, anxiety).

3. Eating Disorders – Women comprise about 90% of the eating disorder population. However, numbers of men with eating disorders are growing, particularly with Binge Eating Disorder. The proposed diagnosis of Muscle Dysmorphia is also more common in men.

4. Psychiatric Medications - According to a study completed in 2000, women are more likely to use psychiatric medications compared to men. This finding could be linked to men having difficulty asking for help.

When dealing with a mental illness, taking into consideration the person’s gender can prevent a misdiagnosis and can facilitate individualized treatment. Men and women tend to deal with stress differently, and we have lots to learn about how gender affects mental health. What we do know is that men and women have trouble understanding each other!

Author Byline:
Ken Myers the editor in chief is a frequent contributor of http://www.gonannies.com/ Ken helps acquiring knowledge on the duties & responsibilities of nannies to society. You can reach him at kmyers.ceo@gmail.com.

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Comments

Nicki Elson said…
"What we do know is that men and women have trouble understanding each other!"

Amen to that! Cool guest post - all things I must keep in mind when writing characters...and trying to understand men.
Glad I deal with my stress at the gym and not with a bottle.
Jennifer Lane said…
Men are tricky, Nicki!
Jennifer Lane said…
I'm glad too, Alex. I appreciate your sober support!
Anonymous said…
When you put those gender differences together with aqe differences, life gets even more interesting! A multi gender, multi age discussion of relationships was the genesis of my current WIP. It was fascinating to see the differences in the way men and women perceived dating and relationships, but even more so when accounting for age. It's a wonder men and women can communicate at all! Thanks for the informative post.
Cherie Colyer said…
Interesting post. I live with five boys. Okay, they aren't all here at the same time now that our children have grown up, but it was always interesting to see how they dealt with stressful situation compared to how I did at their age. Men and woman are definitely wired differently.
Jennifer Lane said…
Autumn, your WIP sounds fantastic. I love delving into relationship dynamics.
Jennifer Lane said…
Cherie, that WOULD be interesting to witness your boys behaving differently than you did at that age. I know that I marvel at my nephews' love of weapons and computer games like Minecraft and World of Warcraft--which I don't understand at all!
DarcĂ­a Helle said…
Fascinating stuff. Things like this make me wonder how men and women manage to live together at all!
Jennifer Lane said…
Darcia, so true. Perhaps that's one reason I live alone. ;-)