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TREATING WOMEN WITH DEPRESSION

By Tess Thompson

Treating depression can be a challenge irrespective of whether it is for a woman or a man. But the manner in which a female patient is managed is different from the manner in which is a male patient is addressed.

There are many biological differences between men and women. Additionally, there is a drastic difference in the manner in which men and women respond to similar situations.

It might be a surprise for some, but medication also has dissimilar effects on the two genders. Such factors need to be kept in mind while treating depression in women.

There is a strong correlation between depressive symptoms in women and the typical conditions that only women experience.

These are:

Menstruation
Pregnancy
Childbirth
Birth control pills
Hormonal replacement medication at the time of menopause

Progesterone increases enzyme activity whereas estrogen decreases it. These changes have a significant affect on neurotransmitters that are responsible for moods. They also affect the way drugs are metabolized by a women’s body.

Women are more susceptible to hypothyroidism, a condition that can potentially cause depression. In case the basic cause of depression in women is related to a physiological condition, treatment of the condition becomes essential before progressing to other therapy areas.

Antidepressants are the most common type of medication used for treating depression. The action that an antidepressant has on the body differs in women and men to some extent. The specific affect is altered based on body structure and functions of the reproductive system in women.

Some such differences that can determine the affect of antidepressants are:

A woman’s body secretes less gastric acid than men.
The gastrointestinal transit time is slower among women, especially during menstruation since progesterone is released to prepare the uterus for pregnancy.
The ratio of body fat to muscle which is greater in women than in men.

This translates in higher concentration of drug plasma in the body and implies that women require a lower dose of antidepressants than men.

One of the methods used in treating depression naturally is cognitive behavioral therapy. Psychiatrists have had to take gender differences into consideration while executing a cognitive behavior therapy since cognitive styles and perceptions of women are different from those of men.

Women experience guilt and anxiety more frequently. Compared to men, they are more prone to get bouts of seasonal depression and atypical depression. Atypical depression includes inability to stay awake, excessive craving for carbohydrates, aggravating moods in the evenings, panic, phobia and initial insomnia.

Internal production or external administration of gonadal steroids too has a greater affect on moods in women.

Although the diagnostic procedures are the same in both genders, the manifestation of symptoms, the course of depression and its treatment differs to a significant extent.
The natural remedies for depression , specified in homeopathy make a clear distinction between drugs used for treating depression in women and men.

References:
http://www.healthyplace.com/communities/depression/women_2.asp
http://www.healthyplace.com/communities/depression/women.asp
http://www.healthyplace.com/communities/depression/women_6.asp

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