Women & Mental Illness

As we near the end of Women's History Month, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on how mental illness affects the daily lives of so many women and what we can do as a community to better support each other moving forward.

​First, it's important to understand the alarming capacity at which women suffer from mental illnesses. Women are twice as likely as men to suffer from depression and anxiety at some point in their lifetimes. This could be due to various biological, social, and environmental factors. Women may face many biological transitions throughout their lives, including pregnancy, birth, or conditions such as PMDD that have the potential to acutely impact their mental health. Other factors include societal and cultural norms that result in women internalizing their emotions, or facing stressors such as caregiving, straying from traditional gender roles, or being victims of violence and abuse.

Increased accessibility to social media factors into this equation: with women already facing disproportionately higher rates of eating disorders and anxiety, studies have indicated that young women with unlimited access to social media platforms report higher feelings of depression and low self-esteem. Teenagers have more accessibility to the internet than ever before, and with Snapchat and Instagram highlight reels, it's hard enough for an adult woman to not feel insecure, let alone an adolescent trying to navigate her way through womanhood. Young girls who experience depression, anxiety, or suicidal ideation are frequently dismissed as "attention-seeking", which dangerously discourages them from seeking mental health treatment. 

​As women, the pressure is always on. The microaggressions women face every day only exacerbate internalized stressors. Now, combine that with the racism, negative stereotypes, and stigma that women of color face. While mental illness does not discriminate, women of color experience disproportionately adverse life experiences that affect their ability to have mental illness be assessed, identified, and treated competently. Women of color experience post-partum depression at a 2-3x higher rate than white women. Economic insecurity, shame, and institutional racism make accessing quality mental health treatment significantly more difficult for WoC, not to mention the lack of WoC in media representations of mental illness decreases visibility and contributes to the already innate shame and stigma associated with mental illness.

​Another intersection of women and mental health includes the disparity of competent, quality care for our lesbian, bisexual, and trans sisters. LGBTQIA individuals are already at increased risk for homelessness, violence, and dying by suicide. Studies show that trans youth indicate their biggest stressor is unacceptance by their families and friends, while cis youth report their biggest stressor to be academic performance. Studies also show that trans youth without peer or family support are 82% more likely to consider or attempt suicide. 

​So how do we make things better for each other? It starts with awareness: having open, honest discussions about mental illness. Creating increased accessibility to quality mental health services that are culturally competent and affirming. Early intervention in our youth who may be struggling with mental health issues. Contacting our legislators and urging them to make access to quality healthcare in all communities a priority. Developing and implementing preventative strategies in school systems. Being mindful and confronting our own innate prejudices to better support ALL women. Armed with a better understanding of some of the factors that contribute to women's mental health, we can start to work towards taking better care of ourselves and each other. 

Thanks for reading, and we hope you check back in here soon for more posts on mental health, community resources, and BEFS updates!