Mental ill health among women is on the
rise. One in five women (19%) experience a Common Mental Disorder (such as
anxiety or depression), compared with one in eight (12%) men.
Mental
disorders can affect women and men differently. Women are more likely to have mental health problems
than men, with young women at particularly high risk. Some disorders are more common
in women such as depression and anxiety. There are also certain types of
depression that are unique to women. Some women may experience symptoms of
mental disorders at times of hormone change, such as perinatal depression,
premenstrual dysphoric disorder, and perimenopause-related depression.
The origins of much of the pain and suffering
particular to women can be traced to the social circumstances of many women's
lives. Depression, hopelessness, exhaustion, anger and fear grow out of hunger,
overwork, domestic and civil violence, entrapment and economic dependence.
Understanding the sources of ill health for women means understanding how
cultural and economic forces interact to undermine their social status.
Women tend to experience mental illness
slightly differently than men. Specifically, women
are more prone to internalizing mental illnesses such as depression and
anxiety, while men are more prone to externalizing mental illnesses such as
drug abuse, alcoholism, and antisocial behaviors. An internalizing mental
illness is one which causes a person to turn inward. It often leads to
withdrawal, ruminating, loneliness, and feelings of sadness. Women who find
themselves retreating from life and internalizing their emotions should
consider the possibility of a mental illness when this sign is combined with
other factors.
Some women specific mental health issues include Post-partum
depression. Having a baby can be an
exciting time in a couple’s lives. However, the process can also trigger some
mental health concerns. Aside from experiencing postpartum complications, such
as depression, anxiety, or birth trauma, there are also experiences with
infertility, pregnancy loss and reproductive complications (PCOS,
endometriosis, etc.) that can crop up during this stage of life. Postpartum
depression may occur in women who have a history of depression, anxiety or
trauma.
Women in poverty
are more likely to face poor mental health, with 29% of women in poverty
experiencing a common mental health disorder compared to 16% of women not in
poverty. Women in poverty who have experienced abuse are even more likely to
experience poor mental health.
Females are generally more predisposed to hormonal
fluctuations as well. Biological differences alone can prove key to the
development of some mental health issues.
Men and women still have different levels of control
over the determinants of mental health such as access to resources, status,
roles, options and treatments. As such, gender is important in defining
susceptibility and exposure to a number of mental health risks. Gender can also
explain differences in mental health outcomes.
DISCLAIMER: All the information
being provided her has been sourced from the internet and books and some also
via personal experiences. It has no medical authentication per se so
suggestions if followed must be done in consultation with a trained mental health
professional.
I grew up in small town India in the 80s, and in the 90s during my teenage years PERIODS was considered one of the dirtiest words ever. There were horrendous incidents of my friends spotting their school skirts and then walking (yes walking, we lived in a hill station) with great difficulty to home covering the spot with a sweater or a blazer, the school’s small infirmary didn’t have any ready to use sanitary pads back then and most mothers and older sisters still living in their time wrap to even talk about it. At homes those four-five days meant isolation and untouchability (girls were considered impure during periods.)
I was almost 13 plus and awaiting my periods to begin still when my father (yes you read it right) my father- papa sat me down to talk to me about periods. He first asked me what I knew about my body and anatomy and the changes happening to me as a young girl. I told him my sketchy know-how garnered from biology chapters and library books and even a sanitary pad company sponsored workshop in school about periods but I also told him about my fears about periods and how most of my friends use what they called “rough cloth” and how it kept them discomforted those 4-5 days.
He talked to me in a very technical and non- evasive way about periods, asked me what I would prefer using the new belted sanitary napkins that were the norm then or we can make our own disposable ones using cotton gauze and cotton, because he didn’t want me to use “rough cloth” like the other girls.
I loved making things with my engineer dad so I said okay let’s make our own, and that’s how I was taught to made my first disposable cotton gauze sanitary napkins by my father. A few months later I also got used to sometimes using the commercial ones and then came another major hurdle- I had a major leg surgery for which one of my full legs was in plaster. Two days later I got my periods. Lying straight in a bed with a wet pad wasn’t a good feeling at all, that’s when my father in the pre-internet days did some research and found about tampons. He bought me some and not only advised me to use those but helped me change them too, I was 15.
That one parent-child moment changed my perception of body image, sexuality, menstruation and gender forever. I passed on my new-found knowledge, confidence and ease about periods to many friends though both me and my father got labelled as "strange" as a result most of the time.
Ever since I was always eloquent about menstruation awareness and related issues and now that my father is no more and I am myself a parent to a pre-teen girl I realize in that one moment my father gave me that voice and that confidence.
He never allowed anyone in the family including my religious mother to put any menstruation related restrictions on me regarding going to the temple/kitchen in the house or touching the pickle. I could tell him I am having menstrual cramps and he would make the best hot chocolate ever and give me a hot water bag to place on my tummy.
Yes I was so blessed to have such an evolved parent who moved beyond the pre-defined boundaries of "masculinity", fatherhood and motherhood and dis all he could to raise a strong, confident, feminist-humanist who is committed for life to keep using her voice and agency to pass on the favor to as many young girls as I can.
My late father with my daughter
Kadam Chhota, Change Bada!
Every change begins with a small step, whether it’s a change within your family, or the whole country!
On 11th May, is the digital premiere of India’s Hero, Padman, on ZEE5. Don’t miss this inspiring true-life story, only on ZEE5. Download the app and subscribe now. For every subscription, ZEE5 will donate Rs. 5 towards the personal hygiene needs of underprivileged women.
