From the time a lady reaches puberty till about the age of 50, she is two times as likely to have an anxiety disorder as a man. Anxiety disorders also take place earlier in women than in men. Women are likewise most likely to have multiple psychiatric conditions during their lifetime than men. The most typical to co-occur with anxiety is depression.
Differences in brain chemistry might account for a minimum of part of these differences. The brain system associated with the fight-or-flight action is triggered more easily in women and remains activated longer than men, partially as a result of the action of estrogen and progesterone.
Anxiety and Women’s Health
The neurotransmitter serotonin might also contribute in responsiveness to stress and anxiety. Some evidence recommends that the female brain does not procedure serotonin as rapidly as the male brain. Current research has discovered that women are more conscious low levels of corticotropin-releasing element (CRF), a hormone that arranges stress responses in mammals, making them two times as vulnerable as men to stress-related conditions.
Anxiety is a mental health issue that 40 million Americans battle with– and women are detected with anxiety conditions at almost two times the rate of men. This figure has actually shown extremely controversial. Are women merely biologically wired to worry?
Of course it’s easy to fall into damaging gender stereotypes when going over mental disorder– particularly since disorders like anxiety have traditionally been connected with the image of the “hysterical” woman. Hysteria was a catch-all mental disorder diagnosis used for women up until 1980 when it was lastly removed from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) and changed with conversion condition. And though it hasn’t been a serious diagnosis for decades, its associations are harder to shake.
It’s social distinctions in between males and females that I think offer the most engaging description for why women suffer disproportionately from psychological health issues.
In 2010, periodical reported that the typical woman waits 9 to 12 years after experiencing symptoms of anxiety condition prior to she is effectively identified. There has to be a middle ground in between refusing to acknowledge that women are experiencing psychological health conditions at greater rates than men are and designating women the “crazy psycho” label. There’s no chance to understand for sure what is causing this mental health gap up until we begin having these conversations and start funding research that can give us answers.
Research has actually shown that approximately 30-33 percent of women experience clinical depression or an anxiety condition at some point during pregnancy. Yet some research studies indicate that less than 20 percent look for treatment, which treatment is typically inadequate, states Healy Smith, M.D., a reproductive psychiatrist at the Women’s Mental Health Clinic at New York.
“The misconception that pregnant women need to enjoy is still truly widespread,” Dr. Smith discusses. “Because of that, treatment companies may be less likely to explore a woman’s frame of mind, and a woman may feel ashamed to bring it up.” But you don’t need to suffer– there are safe ways to treat anxiety during pregnancy.
Symptoms of Anxiety During Pregnancy
It can be tricky to diagnose state of mind disorders during pregnancy since “a few of the symptoms can overlap with symptoms of pregnancy, such as changes in hunger, energy levels, concentration, or sleep,” Dr. Smith says. “It’s also normal to have some degree of worry over the health of the pregnancy.” But if you experience consistent symptoms of depression and/or anxiety, especially if you’re not able to work generally, get help.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder
- Excessive worry that’s challenging to manage.
- Irritation.
- Tension/muscle pains.
- Interrupted sleep patterns.
- Feeling restless inside.
- Tiredness.
- Poor concentration.
Risk Factors for Anxiety During Pregnancy
Anybody can experience anxiety during pregnancy, but women with these risk factors are specifically susceptible:
- An individual or family history of a mood condition, such as depression or anxiety
- A history of premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD).
- Being a young mother (under the age of 20).
- Having poor social support.
- Living alone.
- Experiencing marital conflict.
- Being separated, widowed, or separated.
- Having experienced terrible or difficult occasions in the previous year.
- Feeling ambivalent about being pregnant.
- Pregnancy complications.
- Having a low income.
- Having more than 3 children.
Risks of Untreated Anxiety During Pregnancy
“There are well recorded, however often ignored, consequences of untreated anxiety during pregnancy for the fetus and the mom,” Dr. Smith states. Dangers to establishing infants whose moms have without treatment depression or anxiety during pregnancy include:
- Low birthweight.
- Premature birth (before 37 weeks).
- Low APGAR score (which rates a newborn’s health after delivery).
- Poor adaptation outside the womb, consisting of breathing distress and jitteriness.
Dangers to the mom include:
- Suicide.
- Pregnancy termination.
- Postpartum depression or anxiety.
- Use of substances such as alcohol or drugs (Do not use them!)
- Impaired attachment to the baby.
- Not taking excellent care of her physical health.
- Preeclampsia.
- Preterm labor.
- Having a C-section.
Treatment Options Anxiety
There are several therapies that do not include medication and are for that reason thought about normally safe for a developing baby. For women who need medication, there are low-risk options that can deliver real relief.
Nonmedicinal Approaches
The following treatments have been shown to help pregnant women with mild to moderate depression.
- Psychiatric therapy, such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), in which a skilled therapist teaches new methods to handling ideas and feelings.
- Omega-3 necessary fatty acids, which are found in foods such as oily fish and walnuts, and can serve as a natural mood-booster.
- Light therapy, where patients are exposed to synthetic sunlight at specific times of the day to assist alleviate depression symptoms.
- Acupuncture, a Chinese practice that (in this case) involves placing tiny needles into areas of the body believed to affect state of mind.
Antidepressant Medication
If you’re presently taking medication for depression or anxiety, consult your psychiatrist before you stop. A 2006 research study released in the Journal of the American Medical Association showed that “women who discontinued an antidepressant around conception had a 68 percent opportunity of reoccurrence of depression during pregnancy, compared to 26 percent for those women who continued their medication,” says Stephanie Ho, M.D., a reproductive psychiatrist in personal practice in New York City. Of those that fell back, the bulk needed to restart their medication during pregnancy.
Health Tips
If you’re pregnant and you’re having depression and/or anxiety symptoms, speak to your midwife. She must have the ability to treat you straight, or link you with the suitable psychological healthcare service provider.
Women’s Mental Health Consortium preserves a database of psychological healthcare companies who concentrate on treating women; search using the keyword “pregnancy”.
Good luck! Have a nice weekend.
