Depression and women (link) ?
To promote pharmacists' understanding and recognition of
major depression in women and to review gender/sex-specific
differences in its prevalence,
etiology, risk factors, clinical features, course, and management.
Epidemiologic data from diverse cultures indicate that
the lifetime prevalence of major depression is twice as high in women
as in men. The artifact,
biological, and psychosocial hypotheses have each been proposed to
explain the predominance of lifetime depression in women. Major
depression is a multifactorial
disorder and is influenced by numerous risk factors, including age,
socioeconomic status, childhood history of sexual abuse, and recent
stressful life events. Clinical
course and presentation tend to differ between women and men. Women
may experience different types of depression during various
reproductive or life stages,
including premenses, pregnancy, postpartum, and menopause. Treatment
for major depression includes psychosocial therapy, pharmacotherapy,
and electroconvulsive therapy. The literature indicates that major
depression is often underrecognized and undertreated.
Biological and psychosocial factors contribute to the
higher vulnerability of women to major depression. The
biological-psychosocial origins of depression in women may require a multidimensional approach to
treatment. By providing education about this disease, referring
individuals with signs and symptoms
of depression for evaluation, and encouraging appropriate use of
antidepressants, pharmacists can improve the detection and treatment
of major depression.
Postpartum Depression
Postpartum depressive disorder is a spectrum of depressive disorders
that typically includes postpartum blues, postpartum depression, and
postpartum psychosis.
Postpartum blues is by far the most common type, with an estimated
prevalence ranging from 30% to 85%.[38,46] This relatively mild
emotional disturbance is
characterized by mild depressive symptoms such as mood lability,
depression, irritability, tearfulness, generalized anxiety, increased
sensitivity to criticism, fatigue,
and disruptions in sleep and appetite. These relatively benign and
transient symptoms typically peak on the fourth or fifth day after
delivery and remit by the tenth
postpartum day. Although symptoms are time-limited and require little
intervention, approximately 20% of women will develop MD in the first
postpartum year.