Depression in Women, Research Paper Example

Within the field of clinical psychiatry, the continued dilemma that plagues many medical professionals is the prevalence of depression among women of all ages. Without a clear understanding of the impact of depression in women, this serious problem will continue to maintain a strong grasp that impacts thousands of women each year. Only after recognizing the seriousness of this problem can medical professionals begin to seek ways in which to treat this horrible condition and provide women suffering from depression with the ability to overcome its negative side effects. Through identifying potential causes of depression in women and analyzing current and future treatment methodologies, medical professionals can assist patients throughout the world to overcome depression.

Depression is a very serious medical condition that can not only cause a decrease in biological processes, but it can also cause individuals to have false perceptions about the world around them which can also lead to a sense of hopelessness. Given the nature of this condition, medical professionals have identified that several factors including social, biological and environmental, can contribute to the development of depression in women (Noble, 2005; Paykel, 1991; Weissman & Olfson, 1995). These various factors can be found individually or in a combination of two or more depending on the case. With this in mind, physiological upbringing and early childhood trauma, such as rape or abuse have also shown correlative relationships towards advanced and prolonged depression among women especially as the mind begins to come to terms with these events (Weiss et al., 1999). Therefore, research has shown that the causes of depression in women can vary and although these factors are sometime categorical, each person must be reviewed and analyzed on a case-by-case basis to properly implement effective treatment methods.

There has been much advancement in the medical community toward finding new, innovative and highly effective treatment methods to assist women suffering from depression to overcome its negative side-effects. Oftentimes, researchers are able to make strong headway in finding effective treatment methods for depression in women by seeking to treat individual issues clinically using psychological methods or medicinal treatments (Altshuler et al., 2001). The overall trend in the medical community has been to sway from the psychological treatment methodologies using such methods as counseling to find new effective medicines that can help alleviate negative consequences of depression. Research has shown that medicine to relieve such consequences as alteration of mood, hopelessness, lack of energy and sometimes loss of appetite allow for greater opportunity for individuals to think clearly and deal with the psychological issues that may be at the root cause of the depression (Kendler et al., 1993; Altshuler et al., 2001; Kessler, 2003). By effectively combining medicinal and psychological treatment methods, the medical community can assist in treatment for women suffering from depression.

It is very clear that depression in women is a highly sensitive issue for individuals throughout the world and can often cause great negative consequences for patients and their friends and family members. This problem has plagued the medical community for many decades, but the recent efforts to combine treatment methodologies and application of joint-treatment theories has led to much advancement in effectively treating depression. Oftentimes, the simple solution to this problem is to find ways to allow patients to get out of their own ways and remove their inhibitions that can deter medicinal and psychological treatment effectiveness. Nevertheless, the medical community must continue to find new ways to deal with this age-old problem and continue to improve the quality of life for thousands of women suffering from depression throughout the world.

Bibliography

Altshuler, L. L., Cohen, L. S., Moline, M. L., Kahn, D. A., Carpenter, D., & Docherty, J. P. (2001). The expert consensus guideline series: Treatment of depression in women. Postgraduate Medicine, 1-107.

Kendler, K. S., Neale, M. C., Kessler, R. C., Heath, A. C., & Eaves, L. J. (1993). A longitudinal twin study of personality and major depression in women. Archives of General Psychiatry, 50(11), 853-862.

Kessler, R. C. (2003). Epidemiology of women and depression. Journal of Affective Disorders, 74(1), 5-13.

Noble, R. E. (2005). Depression in women. Metabolism – Clinical and Experimental, 54(5), 49-52.

Paykel, E. S. (1991). Depression in women. British Journal of Psychiatry, 158(10), 22-29.

Weiss, E. L., Longhurst, J. G., & Mazure, C. M. (1999). Childhood sexual abuse as a risk factor for depression in women: Psychosocial and neurobiological correlates. The American Journal of Psychiatry, 156(6), 816-828.

Weissman, M. W., & Olfson, M. (1995). Depression in women: implications for health care research. Science, 269(5225), 799-801.