More than 2 million U.S. teenagers have suffered a serious bout of depression in the past year, including nearly 13 percent of girls, according to a federal government survey released on Tuesday.
On average, 8.5 percent of adolescents… more » » »
• May 14, 08 • Psychiatry and Mental Health News »
Recurrent Depression in Women Throughout the Life Span
Depression impacts an astounding 20% - 23% of women at some point in their lives, thus qualifying as one of the most common public health problems in the world (Kessler et al. 1994b). This high prevalence in women is probably multifactorial, involving a complex interplay of genetic, neuroendocrine, psychosocial, and stress factors (Bifulco et al. 1998; Heim and Nemeroff 1999).
In this chapter, we examine the impact of gender on recurrent major depressive disorder (MDD), emphasizing the clinical features and treatment of the illness during three key periods of hormone transition: adolescence, pregnancy and the postpartum period, and the menopausal period. Clinical features and sex differences are described first, followed by a focus on recurrences and strategies for prevention.