Why Is Depression More Common in Women Than Men?
The Albany Clinic • April 23, 2022
Millions of U.S. adults suffer from depression, but it affects more women than men. Like with other conditions, there are many reasons behind this statistic, but science and medicine continue looking for promising treatment options. If you’re a woman suffering from depression, seek care and ask about the best care for your condition .
What is Depression?
“Depression (major depressive disorder) is a common and serious medical illness that negatively affects how you feel, the way you think, and how you act. Fortunately, it is also treatable. Depression causes feelings of sadness and/or a loss of interest in activities you once enjoyed. It can lead to a variety of emotional and physical problems and can decrease your ability to function at work and at home.” It’s estimated that 40 million U.S. adults have depression.
What Causes Depression?
There is no single cause for depression. Instead, there are many contributing factors such as:
- People with depression may have biological variations in their brains , and knowing what they are may help recognize causes.
- Faulty neurotransmitters carry signals back and forth from the brain and different parts of the body. Neurotransmitters may play a significant role in depression and how it’s treated.
- Inherited traits. Depression is more common if you have a blood relative diagnosed with depression.
Know the Symptoms
- Feeling sad or low moods
- Lack of interest in something you used to enjoy doing
- Changes in hunger and unexpected weight loss or gain
- Sleeping problems
- Low energy and more fatigue
- Doing things that don’t make sense, like hand wringing, packing, and the inability to sit still in a manner observable by someone else
- You feel worthless or guilty
- Problems thinking , focusing, or making decisions
- You frequently think of or talk about death or suicide
Why Is Depression More Common in Women Than Men?
Women get depression twice as often as men and can be diagnosed at any age. It’s not a unique condition, but there are reasons why it happens more often with women.
Certain mood changes and depressed feelings happen with regular hormonal changes, but that’s not the only reason. There are biological factors and inherited traits, plus other circumstances and experiences linked with a greater risk of depression.
Even with depression happening at any age for different reasons, women are especially vulnerable between puberty and menopause. Estrogen and progesterone play havoc with serotonin, the brain’s feel-good chemical that inspires feelings of well-being. If a woman’s hormone level plummets, serotonin levels go down, sometimes triggering an infuriating mood shift. Women in their reproductive years are prime candidates for depression.
Of course, there’s more at play than just biology. Women are normally more actively involved in personal relationships than males and consequently suffer more if those relationships are disrupted.
Women also face risk factors that can contribute to depression:
- Premenstrual problems, which can also trigger premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PDD). This can affect about 10 percent of women who have periods.
- Pregnancy. “According to The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), between 14-23% of women will struggle with some symptoms of depression during pregnancy.”
- Postpartum depression commonly impacts about three million individuals each year in the United States.
- Inequity in power and status compared to men. There’s a greater chance that a woman will live in poverty compared to men, and this creates a flood of worry around “ uncertainty about the future and decreased access to community and health care resources.”
- The stress of working outside the home and shouldering the burden of most home-related chores .
- Women live longer than men. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 25 percent of people 55 and older get depression.
- More women are diagnosed with depression than men because they seek medical care for the problem.
Diagnosis & Treatment
Diagnosing depression isn’t easy. Symptoms can overlap with other conditions, but the first step is to see a healthcare provider if you think there’s a problem. A medical doctor can perform a physical examination to look for an underlying cause of depression symptoms. A mental healthcare specialist will delve into your thoughts, behaviors, and emotions and try to uncover evidence of personal or family history of mental illness. A final medical opinion depends on comparing your symptoms to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders criteria.
Finally, treatment may include psychotherapy, antidepressants, lifestyle changes, or ketamine therapy to relieve symptoms.
The post Why Is Depression More Common in Women Than Men? appeared first on The Albany Clinic.
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Living with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can be debilitating. Nightmares, flashbacks, and a constant sense of being “on edge” can interfere with work, relationships, and overall quality of life. If you’ve tried therapy or medications without lasting relief, you’re not alone—and there may be another option. At the Albany Clinic in Carbondale, Illinois, we specialize in ketamine therapy as a promising treatment for PTSD. Understanding PTSD Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) develops after experiencing or witnessing trauma. While everyone responds to trauma differently, common symptoms include: Intrusive memories or flashbacks Avoidance of reminders of the trauma Emotional numbness or detachment Heightened anxiety , irritability , or trouble sleeping Some people also develop complex PTSD (CPTSD) , which stems from repeated or prolonged trauma. CPTSD often comes with additional challenges, such as difficulty regulating emotions or maintaining healthy relationships. Current Treatments and Their Limitations The most common treatments for PTSD include cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) , eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) , and antidepressant medications . For many people, these treatments can be helpful. However, they also come with challenges: Medications may take weeks to work and don’t help everyone. Therapy can take months or years to create lasting change. Therapies can be difficult to engage with, as they involve discussing the trauma, which can be distressing or may cause someone to shut down emotionally. Some individuals continue to experience severe symptoms despite treatment. This is where ketamine therapy offers a new avenue of hope. How Ketamine May Help PTSD Ketamine works differently from traditional antidepressants. Instead of gradually altering brain chemistry, ketamine acts quickly on key brain circuits involved in mood and fear. Rebalancing brain activity : Ketamine boosts activity in the prefrontal cortex , the part of the brain that helps regulate emotions. It also decreases activity in the amygdala , the brain’s fear center, helping reduce anxiety and hypervigilance. Promoting neuroplasticity : Ketamine encourages new connections between brain areas, helping “rewire” pathways associated with PTSD symptoms. Supporting fear extinction : Ketamine supports fear extinction, the process by which the brain ‘unlearns’ fearful responses to things it expects to be threatening. This is especially important in PTSD, where people may react to safe situations or cues as if they were actual threats. Benefits of Ketamine for PTSD Research continues to grow, but studies and clinical experience have shown several promising benefits: Rapid relief : Many patients notice improvements within hours to days, rather than weeks. This can be especially important during a mental health crisis or for those struggling with suicidal thoughts. Effective when other treatments have failed : Ketamine can offer relief even for people who haven’t responded to medications or therapy. Sustained improvement : With a series of treatments, many patients experience lasting relief from PTSD symptoms. Increases the benefits of other therapies : Ketamine may speed up the outcomes of other trauma-based therapies, such as prolonged exposure therapy . In a 2021 study , people with severe PTSD received either ketamine or a comparison drug over two weeks. Those given ketamine showed much faster and greater improvement in PTSD and depression symptoms. About 67% had significantly improved symptoms , with the biggest differences in intrusive memories, avoidance, and negative thoughts and mood. The treatment was also well-tolerated with few adverse effects. Ketamine Treatment for PTSD at the Albany Clinic At the Albany Clinic in Carbondale, Illinois, we are dedicated to providing safe, effective ketamine therapy for people with PTSD and other psychiatric disorders. We administer ketamine intravenously to support a rapid reduction in symptoms. Here’s what you can expect: A thorough medical and psychiatric evaluation before treatment begins Comfortable, private treatment rooms Careful monitoring by experienced medical professionals throughout each session A personalized treatment plan designed around your needs During your treatment, you’ll have a small plastic catheter inserted into a vein in your arm, which will deliver ketamine straight into your bloodstream. You may experience mild side effects, such as dizziness and dissociation , which can make you feel disconnected from your body and the world around you. These typically wear off after the session is finished. The infusion takes 45 minutes to one hour , and you’ll be closely monitored by staff during the infusion and afterwards to ensure your safety. We’ll provide you with guidance on aftercare once you’re done and how to make the most of your new headspace. Most people with PTSD require multiple infusions to experience sustained, meaningful changes. However, the treatment plan will be tailored according to your unique needs. Get in Touch Today If you or a loved one is struggling with PTSD and current treatments haven’t provided the relief you need, ketamine therapy may be an option worth exploring. At the Albany Clinic, we are here to answer your questions and guide you through every step of the process. Get in touch to find out more.
Depression is one of the most common mental health conditions, affecting millions of people across all walks of life. While many find relief through traditional methods, they don’t work for everyone. Some people can struggle with depression for nearly a lifetime, and in severe cases, may even consider taking their own lives. At The Albany Clinic, we specialize in innovative, evidence-based treatments that can help patients overcome depression, even when other therapies haven’t worked. In this article, we’ll discuss these treatments and how clinics such as our own are saving lives.
As ketamine therapy becomes increasingly popular for treating mental health conditions like depression and PTSD, more people are exploring their options. At-home ketamine therapy gained traction during the pandemic for its convenience, but without medical supervision, this approach may come with elevated risks. In this article, we’ll explore some of the key differences and pros and cons of in-clinic versus at-home ketamine therapy. What Is In-Clinic Ketamine Therapy? IV Ketamine Treatment In-clinic ketamine therapy involves receiving treatment at a licensed medical facility, such as The Albany Clinic , where professionals monitor and administer the medication under strict protocols. This ensures your safety, especially during your initial sessions. At The Albany Clinic, we specialize in intravenous (IV) ketamine infusion therapy , which has been most well-researched when it comes to treating mental health disorders. IV ketamine bypasses the digestive system, delivering the medication directly into the bloodstream. IV ketamine can help relieve symptoms of various mental health disorders, including depression , anxiety , post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) , and more. During an infusion at our clinic, you’ll rest in a calm, controlled environment while ketamine is delivered into a vein through a catheter. Our trained staff will closely monitor your vital signs and mental state throughout the session, adjusting the dose of ketamine if needed. We’ll observe you after treatment to ensure any side effects are managed promptly and effectively. Spravato We also offer Spravato (esketamine) at our clinic, a nasal spray based on ketamine. Unlike other forms of ketamine treatment, Spravato is approved by the FDA and is specifically for adults with treatment-resistant depression or major depressive disorder with suicidal thoughts . Spravato is only approved for in-clinic use under professional supervision and cannot be administered at home, making clinical oversight a legal and medical necessity for this treatment option. During a Spravato session, you’ll self-administer the medication under the supervision of our medical staff. We’ll then closely monitor you for a couple of hours to ensure you’re safe and all side effects have subsided before leaving. What Is At-Home Ketamine Therapy? At-home ketamine therapy allows patients to self-administer the ketamine, typically in the form of lozenges or nasal sprays, delivered via mail. While this option offers flexibility, it usually involves minimal supervision , often limited to virtual check-ins with healthcare providers. Some at-home providers offer optional video support during sessions, but this is not always the case. Patients are largely responsible for monitoring their own physical and emotional reactions, without the benefit of immediate medical intervention if adverse effects occur. At-home treatment often includes supplementary materials , such as guided meditations or journaling tools. However, the lack of real-time clinical oversight makes this option less ideal for those with complex or severe mental health needs. Safety Considerations: In-Clinic vs. At-Home While ketamine therapy is considered safe for most patients, it does come with potential physical and psychological side effects , including: Physical Risks: Elevated blood pressure or heart rate Nausea or vomiting Sedation or dizziness Impaired coordination Rare allergic reactions Psychological Risks: Hallucinations or dissociation Temporary confusion or anxiety Emotional vulnerability during treatment Risk of misuse or dependency The FDA has issued warnings about at-home ketamine use due to its potential for abuse and lack of medical supervision . Without proper monitoring, the risk of addiction and long-term complications, such as bladder damage and cognitive decline, may increase. Key Differences Between In-Clinic and At-Home Ketamine Therapy
