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Women experience
depression about twice as often as men.1 Many hormonal factors
may contribute to the increased rate of depression in women-particularly
such factors as menstrual cycle changes, pregnancy, miscarriage,
postpartum period, pre-menopause, and menopause. Many women
also face additional stresses such as responsibilities both
at work and home, single parenthood, and caring for children
and for aging parents.
A recent NIMH study showed that in the case of severe Premenstrual
Syndrome (PMS), women with a preexisting vulnerability to
PMS experienced relief from mood and physical symptoms when
their sex hormones were suppressed. Shortly after the hormones
were re-introduced, they again developed symptoms of PMS. Women
without a history of PMS reported no effects of the hormonal
manipulation.
Many women are also particularly vulnerable after the birth
of a baby. The hormonal and physical changes, as well as the
added responsibility of a new life, can be factors that lead
to postpartum depression in some women. While transient "blues"
are common in new mothers, a full-blown depressive episode is
not a normal occurrence and requires active intervention. Treatment
by a sympathetic physician and the family's emotional support
for the new mother are prime considerations in aiding her to
recover her physical and mental well-being and her ability to
care for and enjoy the infant.
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A Portrait of Depression
Opening with a sobering quotation from Andrew Solomon s 1998 confession of suicidal depression in The New Yorker , Helen dives into this painful mental illness with sensitivity and grace.
Tropical depression forms over the Bahamas
The third tropical depression of the 2010 hurricane season has formed in the southeast Bahamas, the National Hurricane Center says.
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