Women and men are different not only in their obvious physical attributes, but also in their psychological makeup. There are actual differences in the way women's and men's brains are structured and “wired” and in the way they process information and react to events and stimuli. Women and men differ in the way they communicate, deal in relationships, express their feelings, and react to stress. Thus, the gender differences are based in physical, physiological, and psychological attributes.
Gender has been described as a critical determinant of mental health and mental illness. The Indian culture is unique. Joint family system, patriarchy, marriage a must, especially women; marriage is a sacrosanct union, permanent union; subservient status of daughter-in-laws at home, preference for the male child, practice of dowry, lower educational status of women, strict code of conduct for females, and primary roles of women being childbearing and child rearing, and the “Indian Paradox” (the married woman with severe mental illness, subjected to domestic violence (DV) makes frantic efforts for restitution of conjugal rights rather than for separation or divorce), are all part of the Indian culture. These factors significantly affect the occurrence, manifestations, treatment, and outcome of mental disorders in women of India. Thus women mental health can be conceptualized as having a wide range of related areas, including reproductive health, psychopharmacology, psychosocial determinants of mental health, and legal issues. However, traditionally, women mental health is conceived in terms of reproductive health, other areas have received little attention.
Gender determines the differential power and control that men and women have over the socioeconomic determinants of their mental health and lives, their social position, status and treatment in society and their susceptibility, and exposure to specific mental health risks. A strong inverse relationship exists between social position and physical and mental health outcomes. Hence, the effect of the biological vulnerability is increased by the social disadvantages that women have. Pressures are created by their multiple roles and the unremitting responsibility of caring of others. In addition, gender specific risk factors such as gender discrimination and associated factors of poverty, hunger, malnutrition, overwork, domestic violence, and sexual abuse combine to account for women's poor mental health. There is a positive relationship between the frequency and severity of such social factors and the frequency and severity of mental health problems in women. In addition, severe life events that cause a sense of loss, inferiority, humiliation or entrapment can predict depression.
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