Men and Women Are Different In Regards to Mental Illness
Study has found that Women are more likely to be diagnosed with anxiety or depression, while men tend to be more prone to substance abuse or antisocial disorders, according to new study published by the American Psychological Association journal of Abnormal Psychology.
Researchers in the study looked at the prevalence by gender of different types of common mental illnesses. Women are more likely to internalize emotions, which typically results in withdrawal, loneliness and depression. Men are more likely to externalize emotions, which leads to aggressive, impulsive, coercive and noncompliant behavior, according to the study
Analyzing data collected by the National Institute of Health Survey of 43,093 of U.S. civilians not institutionalized in 2001-2002. Participants answered interview question, examining their lifetime mental health history as well as over the prior 12 months. Of those 57 percent were women.
Researchers found that gender difference accounted for liabilities to internalize and externalize in many mental disorders
The findings support gender-focused prevention and treatment efforts, the study said. "In women, treatment might focus on coping and cognitive skills to help prevent rumination from developing into clinically significant depression or anxiety," said lead author Nicholas R. Eaton, MA, of the University of Minnesota. "In men, treatment for impulsive behaviors might focus on rewarding planned actions and shaping aggressive tendencies into non-destructive behavior."
Past research also indicated that women report more neuroticism and more frequent stressful life events than men do before the onset of a disorder, indicating that environmental stressors may also contribute to internalizing, the report said.