Signs of Depression in Women … And What to Do About Them

Women have various roles in life including, mother, daughter, wife, employee, friend, caregiver, and many more. All of these roles naturally have ups and downs with the normal ebbs and flows of life which can lead to changes in mood due to life events (such as an argument with your significant other), stressful situations (work pressures), or hormones (such as menstrual cycle or pregnancy).

For the most part, these emotions tend to level out after a few days and you no longer feel quite as low. However, if you are suffering from depression, not only will you not feel better, but the symptoms may intensify as well as begin to interfere with your ability to do your daily activities and interact normally in your relationships. This can turn into a debilitating cycle of depressive symptoms as a one-time occurrence or intermittently over several weeks, months, or years.

Statistically speaking, about 15 million people in the United States experience depression every year and the majority of them are women. Depression is one of the most common disorders for women in the United States and is about twice as likely to develop and affect women as compared to men. Women tend to develop depression at an earlier age and have episodes of depression that occur with greater frequency and last longer.

Different Forms of Depression

Symptoms of depression that are persistent and interfere with your ability to function in everyday activities may be a sign of a clinical diagnosis of depression. If you are experiencing symptoms of depression, consulting with a medical or counseling professional can help some clarity into what may be going on and what some next steps in treatment should be. Some of the most common types of depression in women are as follows:

Major Depression

This is a severe form of depression that would affect a woman’s ability to function well at work, have difficulties with sleep, affect her quality and quantity of food intake, and impact her ability to experience pleasure in activities that she would normally consider to be pleasurable.

Major Depression also generally has a negative impact on interpersonal and social relationships. Low self-esteem is a common experience among those suffering from major depression and symptoms may persist for extended periods of time.

Postpartum Depression

This type of depression is unique to women and specifically occurs following the birth of a baby. This is more than just “baby blues” and can be difficult for a woman to deal with, especially in the face of society’s perception that the birth of a child is only to be celebrated. Standard symptoms seen with postpartum depression develop in the months following childbirth, but some women can even begin seeing symptoms while still pregnant.

Persistent Depressive Disorder

This form of depression is considered to be a milder form compared to that of major depression, but that can also last for persistent periods of time. Generally, an extended depressed mood and other depressive symptoms last for two or more years. A person suffering from persistent depressive disorder may also experience episodes of major depression as well.

Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder

Generally speaking, people are familiar with and may experience premenstrual syndrome (PMS) in which moodiness and irritability are present in the weeks before menstruation. These symptoms are not uncommon and present as fairly mild. However, much less common is when some women suffer from premenstrual dysphoric disorder symptoms, which is experiences of depression tied to their menstrual cycle.

This is when more serious and debilitating symptoms of anxiety, anger, severe mood swings, appetite changes, and suicidal or other negative ruminating thoughts consistently appear in the week prior to the start of menstruation and then dissipate once their menstrual period starts. These depressive symptoms are severe enough that they negatively interfere with daily activities as well as impact interpersonal relationships.

Types of depression that are unique to women are premenstrual dysphoric disorder, perinatal depression, and perimenopausal depression occurring at different stages of a woman’s life and are associated with the dramatic physical and hormonal changes that a women’s body undergoes.

What Causes Depression in Women?

Compared to men, there tend to be differing contributing factors including reproductive hormones, differing responses to stress, and social pressures that are unique to a women’s experience in life. In general, there is a multitude of genetic, hormonal, psychological, and social factors that can contribute to a person developing depression.

Biological Causes

From a biological perspective, depression can run in families. Genetics can tell us which genetic makeups may be more prone to developing depression and which will be more resistant to depression, but genetics cannot tell us who will or will not suffer from depression.

Just because someone is more prone to depression does not mean that they will develop it. In fact, there are factors that can help to reduce the risk of depression including healthy family and social relationships to increase one’s resiliency to depression.

Other biological and hormonal risk factors that can increase your chances of suffering from depression include issues with pregnancy, fertility, perimenopause, menopause, and menstrual cycles. Most of the times that there are increased risks are when there are hormonal imbalances and fluctuations in reproductive hormones.

In addition, dealing with health problems, chronic pain, illness, disability and even drastic life changes (such as frequent dieting or quitting smoking) can prompt the development of symptoms of depression in women.

Psychological Causes

Psychologically speaking, women are more prone to psychological causes of depression than men. As women have the tendency to be more emotional and the ability to more freely express those emotions, they can be more likely to rehash negative and unhealthy thoughts during episodes of depression, which can lead to rumination of depressive experiences making them last longer and spiraling into more severe symptoms.

Also, the impact of negative body image and stress-induced depression are more common in women. With stress, women generally can be more prone to stress due to having higher levels of progesterone – a hormone that is shown to prevent other stress hormones to balance and level out.

Social Causes

A woman’s coping skills for dealing with stress, choices in relationships, as well as lifestyle habits and choices can affect women differently than men. Statistically, women are more likely than men to develop depression from relational or marital problems, issues with work-life balance, stressful life events (i.e. death of a loved one), and troubles with finances.

Other factors that may increase the risk of suffering from depression include childhood abuse, history of mood disorders, and the use of certain substances or medications.

Common Signs of Depression in Women

Everyone can experience depressive symptoms differently in terms of presentation, frequency, intensity, and combinations of symptoms.

Listed below are some of the most commonly seen signs and symptoms of depression:

• Feelings of emptiness, hopelessness, despair, and sadness
• Feelings of irritability, anxiousness, worthlessness, and guilt
• Feelings of exhaustion, severe tiredness
• Loss of interest or pleasure in previously enjoyable activities
• Inability to concentrate, make decisions, or remember details
• Thoughts of death, suicide, or attempts of suicide
• Sleep disturbances; sleeping too much or too little, insomnia
• Changes in appetite – eating too much or too little
• Physical symptoms – aches and pains, cramps, headaches, digestive issues, breast tenderness, bloating, chronic pain
• Lack of energy
• Feeling out of control
• Mood swings and feelings of tearfulness or excessive crying
• Panic attacks
• Feelings of tension
• Disinterest in daily activities and relationships

Differences in Depression for Women Compared to Men

Some of the ways that depressive symptoms in women can differ and be distinguished from those in men include:

Women: 

• Women often turn to unhealthy habits with food and friends for self-medicating depression
• Women tend to feel nervous and lethargic
• Women tend to feel more anxious and scared
• Women more often blame themselves for the symptoms of depression
• Women tend to feel sad, worthless, and apathetic when they are depressed
• Women often will avoid conflicts when they are depressed
• Women often more easily talk about their feelings of self-doubt and despair

Men: 

• Men often turn to more destructive habits such as alcohol, TV, sex, or sports to self-medicate
• Men tend to feel more agitated and restless
• Men often feel more guarded when depressed
• Men tend to blame others from the experience of their symptoms
• Men often feel more irritable and angry
• Men are more likely to create conflicts when depressed
• Men tend to hide any feelings of self-doubt and despair, considering them as signs of weakness

These distinguishing factors are not universal and obviously will have exceptions as everyone experiences depression differently, but overall tendencies are fairly consistent according to research.

Some of the variances can result from hormonal differences between men and women, while a few of the most dramatic experiences in hormonal changes occur during menstruation, pregnancy, childbirth, and menopause, making women more prone to symptoms of depression at these times.

Another prominent reason we see a difference in the presentation of depressive symptoms in men and women are the social norms set in our society for men and women. In general, our society expects men to be tough and not openly share how they are feeling or risk being perceived as weak, whereas women are more often expected to openly share and articulate their emotions.

What culture and society deem socially acceptable plays into how men and women are able to express their experiences of depression.

What to Do About Your Symptoms of Depression

As a woman, taking into consideration how your body, hormones, life stage and life stressors may be impacting your experience of depression is imperative.

If you are pregnant or become pregnant while in treatment, consulting with your physician is crucial if medications are part of your effective treatment plan.

Anytime you are prescribed medication to help you cope or lessen your depressive symptoms, it is important to monitor and take note of any side effects or changes in your symptoms. In some cases, there are side effects that worsen depression so it is imperative to take note and call your doctor if symptoms increase in severity.

Research has shown that therapy is a very effective method of treatment and those who seek treatment have high success rates. Finding a counselor that you connect well with and being diligent with your own work in processing underlying issues and implementing healthy habits will drastically increase your likelihood of finding relief from depressive symptoms.

Along with seeking treatment from professionals, implementing good self-care strategies are shown to assist in improving mood in those suffering from depression. Having a support system that you can trust and lean on during difficult times as well as staying engaged in social activities to avoid isolation is beneficial.

Making quality face-to-face time a priority, rather than only using social media or phone calls, can play a huge role in relieving depressive symptoms. Examining your exercise and sleep routines to be sure you are keeping your body in the best condition that it can be each day is helpful in combatting symptoms of depression. As well as introducing spiritual practices, meditation, and other relaxation techniques are all found to being beneficial in our mental health.

If you are suffering from signs or symptoms of depression, it is best to reach out and seek treatment. Unfortunately, about two-thirds of people suffering from depression do not get the help they need. It is best not to wait and allow symptoms to increase in frequency or severity, which will only make it more overwhelming and difficult to manage.

Finding a mental health professional can help you to explore what the underlying issues may be as they begin to work with you to find what would best help you to begin your healing process. Only a mental health profession should formally diagnose and make recommendations for treatment to discuss with you moving forward.

Remember that depression can affect individuals differently, but even the most severe cases of depression are treatable. Commonly, adjustments in self-care and lifestyle choices, medication, as well as psychotherapy are all treatments that are effective on their own and more effective in combination.

There is no treatment that is “one-size fits all” and it can take a bit of exploration, patience, persistence, and trial in finding what is most effective for you. You are not alone and a counselor at Seattle Christian Counseling would be honored to meet with you as you begin your journey toward wellness.