Why Women's Well-Being Should Take Center Stage

By Sona Dimidjian and Richard Davidson Sona Dimidjian is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience at the University of Colorado, Boulder. Her research addresses the treatment and prevention of depression, with a particular focus on the mental health of women during pregnancy and postpartum. Richard J. Davidson is a leading expert on the study of emotions and how they affect well-being. He is the founder of the Center for Healthy Minds and the William James and Vilas Professor of Psychology and Psychiatry at the University of Wisconsin - Madison. If you were told that nearly half of the people on the planet had a higher risk of developing a mental health disorder, what would you do? Would you help bring the issue to light? Or support better preventive care and education to help? Surprisingly, this isn't a fictitious statistic, but a reality we face. Compared to men, women are more likely to experience many of the most common mental health disorders, including depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, insomnia and eating disorders. These conditions have tremendous impact on well-being. Depression is the leading cause of disability worldwide. And while it's the leading cause among men and women, women and girls are twice as likely to experience it. Although there are multiple social determinants of mental health and well-being, gender is a powerful one. Understanding why and how this plays out in our homes and communities,...
Source: Science - The Huffington Post - Category: Science Source Type: news