Depression in women – CBT Kenya

Depression isn’t just a brief period where you feel sad or down about something. It’s a serious mood disorder that can affect your daily life. And it isn’t always easy to recognize or treat. You may not even realize that you’re dealing with depression until you’ve experienced symptoms for an extended period of time.

Depression, as a disorder, differs in women and men on the basis of how they react to it. The ways in which men and women react to the illness, the way they talk about it, if they talk about it or not, everything counts in creating this difference. Women are said to be twice highly at risk of depression as compared to men. This gets into the idea of ‘gender gap’ which is mostly a term used in economic and political sectors. But even in the medical sector, this gap persists, in the case of depression.

Signs of depression in women

• Depression can be downright exhausting. When you’re going through depression, it can be easy to feel fatigued, even after a full night’s sleep. It’s no wonder, though. Depression is stressful and stress saps us of our energy.
• One’s depression might make them stay up all night or it might make them throw away their whole day in bed. A sign of depression in women is this inconsistency. These unhealthy sleep patterns can wreak further havoc on their mind.
• Feeling hopeless about the past, present, and future is a large sign of depression in women. When one is depressed, they ruminate on things that are out of their control. They try to not think of these things, but that can just lead them back to the thoughts.
• Not only does depression make one feel sad, it can also make them feel angry. When depression, one can develop a particularly short fuse. You might not mean to lash out, but the stress on your mind overwhelms you. This sign of depression can make relationships very difficult to maintain.
• Just like with sleeping, eating habits can shift with depression. Some find themselves eating much more in order to fill some sort of void, while others have no appetite to speak of. Depression in women can cause eating habits to become very inconsistent and unhealthy.
• When depressed, one can feel like there is no hope left for them. The world can seem so bleak and uninviting that they believe suicide is the only viable option for them. Even if one doesn’t attempt or have any serious intention to commit suicide, they might still find their thoughts shifting to what it would be like if they were no longer around.

Causes of depression in women

• The many hormonal changes that occur during pregnancy can contribute to depression, particularly in women already at high risk. Other issues relating to pregnancy such as miscarriage, unwanted pregnancy, and infertility can also play a role in depression.
• Women may be at increased risk for depression during perimenopause, the stage leading to menopause when reproductive hormones rapidly fluctuate. Women with past histories of depression are at an increased risk of depression during menopause as well.
• Women are much more likely than men to live in poverty, causing concerns such as uncertainty about the future and decreased access to community and health care resources. These issues can cause feelings of negativity, low self-esteem and lack of control over life.
• Women who were emotionally, physically or sexually abused as children or adults are more likely to experience depression at some point in their lives than those who weren’t abused. Women are more likely than men to experience sexual abuse.
• Drug or alcohol misuse. Some women with depression also have some form of unhealthy substance use or dependence. Substance misuse can worsen depression and make it harder to treat.

Types of depression in women

• Major Depression: Major Depression is a serious form of women’s health depression where a woman loses her ability of taking pleasure in things which she once found enjoyable. This kind of depression affects the woman’s day-to-day life and daily activities. It can affect from eating habits to sleeping habits to interpersonal relations. It can even affect on a women mental health.
• Postpartum Depression: This kind of depression happens right after the birth of a baby. The symptoms can be seen in some women from the beginning of the pregnancy and can last up to months after the baby is born. This may lead a women in stress.
• Persistent Depressive Disorder: This kind of depression in women is considered to be a milder form of major depression, where there can be episodes of major depression from time to time, and this kind of depression in women can last up to two to three years.
• Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder: This kind of depression starts around one week before the start of the menstrual cycle, and has common symptoms as major depression, but a milder version of it but this may increase women mental health issues.

Find help

Depression in women is a serious illness, but only an illness that can be cured through giving the person a coping environment and making some basic changes in our routine. If you know someone who needs help, please talk to them and if needed, seek medical help.

CBT-Kenya (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy-Kenya) counseling center offers counseling and therapy sessions for persons from all walks of life. We focus on helping clients gain insight into themselves by going through a healing process. Our purpose is to help you to achieve your therapeutic and life goals, to improve the quality of your life and to help you to build strong relationships in your life. Get in touch or book an appointment on +254 739 935 333, +254 756 454 585 or info@cbtkenya.org.