Lack of Emotional Connection - where the woman reaches out for support and empathy, and the man withholds it (Chang 73-81).
It is easy to see how these conditions of verbal and mental abuse could lead to feelings of low self-esteem and depression in women. Author Chang quotes a woman stuck in a mentally abusive relationship as saying, "He complained I never communicated with him, but whenever I tried to communicate with him, he would always tell me why I was wrong to think that way. And so it finally reached a point of why bother. You know, I got tired of listening to him criticize me'" (37-year-old nurse) (Chang 73). Studies indicate that abuse in a relationship, no matter what type of abuse, can lead to long-term depression, especially when the abusive relationship is allowed to continue.
It is interesting to note that many of the women interviewed in mentally and verbally abusive relationships did become depressed, but did have the courage to eventually leave the relationships, unlike at least some of the women in physically abusive relationships. The mentally abusive relationships became too much for most women to take, but they were not afraid for their lives or well-being, simply their continued mental health and wellness. Many women in physically abusive relationships are afraid to leave because of threatened violence toward them or their families, and this can lead to even more severe depression and debilitation, as would be expected.
Author Chang notes that after mental and verbal abuse begins, women tend to deny it is happening. Women begin to view themselves as failures in these types of marriages, as author Chang clearly states. She says, "Relationship failures are experienced as their fault and may result in shame, guilt, and depression" (Chang 110). Depression is a common form of reaction to this type of abuse, because women lose their self-esteem and sense of self, and often become withdrawn, overweight, and even develop physical health problems (Chang 112). Thus, mental abuse can be just as harmful to the body as physical abuse, and because so many mentally abused women do not seek treatment for their depression, it may have even longer lasting results on at least some women than physical abuse does.
OTHER FORMS of DEPRESSION
As noted, women often suffer from depression during pregnancy and after childbirth. Author Ainsworth writes, "Postpartum depression is a serious illness that can threaten the lives of both the mother and her newborn. It is not a rare disorder, occurring in almost 15% of women" (Ainsworth 32). During pregnancy, women who are especially tied to their outward appearance may become depressed as they gain weight and undergo other body changes during pregnancy. They may feel less attractive to their partners, and they may find it difficult to cope with some of the changes during pregnancy, although these instances of depression are lower than some others (Editors).
Women undergoing menopause may find themselves more depressed and moody due to fluctuations in hormones and changes in the bodies they have known all their lives. Author Ainsworth continues, "Women commonly report episodes of depression associated with other major hormone changes in their life cycle -- i.e., while on birth control pills, following childbirth, and during menopause" (Ainsworth 28). Thus, women's moods are more tied to their bodies and the changes...
Counseling a Midlife Woman Depression A person only is in need of a counselor or a therapist when he or she cannot resolve their issues on their own. People who are undergoing psychosocial problems tend to depend and rely on the counselor too much. They have created this set idea in their mind that their counselor knows how to fix their problems and in doing so they develop a very dangerous dependency
Women Depression Women and Depression Depression is among the most studied psychiatric disorders in the world. While it is known that every person will go through periods of mild, short-term depression (following a death, divorce, etc.), there is a growing number of individuals who are experiencing depression on a much more serious scale. Among the research findings is a curious finding that women suffer the condition at a much greater rate than
Various intervening and overlapping factors are responsible for their susceptibility to depression. As much a stress-related problems can be zeroed in to blame for prevalence of this illness, nurture and nature play a role in a person's coping abilities. Genetics also contribute to the probability of a person to experience major depression. It does not, however, run in the family, but increases the likelihood of a person to experience
" Dorothy deserves a lot of credit for the level of motivation she exhibits in the Wizard of Oz. When she gets to Oz, her primary goal is to reach the Wizard so that she can return home to Kansas. The motivation Dorothy exhibited to save Toto from the old woman was a more instinctual type of motivation; whereas in Oz she was also stimulated externally by several factors including
Perhaps the best way to regard the genetic component which predisposes a person to become depressed, generally with the help of his/her environment or a specific set of stress-producing depressive triggers, such as death, bereavement, loss of employment or other major family problem. Depression affects about 5% of the U.S. population, and has remained steady since 1970, with the exception of women under 45; in this subset of the population,
Depression and Eating Disorders The eating disorder category in the DSM-IV includes Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa, and the Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified categories. Peck and Lightsey (2008) note that while the DSM classification symptom is currently the most used system, there has been some debate in the about how to classify people with eating disordered behavior. A viable alternative to the discrete categories used in the DSM is notion of
Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.
Get Started Now