Elke HP Hannel | Douglass College/RU (original) (raw)
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Papers by Elke HP Hannel
Abstract Depression, being among the leading causes of disability and affecting the life of mil... more Abstract
Depression, being among the leading causes of disability and affecting the life of millions of individuals world wide, with approximately 17 million American adults (about 6.7 percent of the U.S. population age 18 and older) in a given year, is more prevalent in women than in men . The reasons for this imbalance are not fully known. Whereas, traditionally, factors such as insult during neurogenetic processes or changes in the female reproductive system have been named as some of the main factors in correlation with depressive symptoms, newer findings suggest that stressors as a result of an individual’s lifestyle and shift in role identification within the context of his/her social environment can significantly affect mood and adversely impact systemic functioning. The following discussion focuses on the correlation between gender and morbidity of mood disorders, considering aspects of the biopsychosocial model. This model seems applicable to this investigation because it includes factors that could be inferred from longitudinal studies pertaining to the topic of sex differences in depression. Men and women appear to process information differently and present pathological symptoms in gender specific ways. Whereas women have been found to express feelings of depression more openly, men often suffer from mood disorders that are manifested in somatic illnesses, or anger and/or engagement in addictive behavior. To do those who deviate from societal normative categorization justice, I have also included homosexual and gender-transformed individuals in my discussion.
Abstract Depression, being among the leading causes of disability and affecting the life of mil... more Abstract
Depression, being among the leading causes of disability and affecting the life of millions of individuals world wide, with approximately 17 million American adults (about 6.7 percent of the U.S. population age 18 and older) in a given year, is more prevalent in women than in men . The reasons for this imbalance are not fully known. Whereas, traditionally, factors such as insult during neurogenetic processes or changes in the female reproductive system have been named as some of the main factors in correlation with depressive symptoms, newer findings suggest that stressors as a result of an individual’s lifestyle and shift in role identification within the context of his/her social environment can significantly affect mood and adversely impact systemic functioning. The following discussion focuses on the correlation between gender and morbidity of mood disorders, considering aspects of the biopsychosocial model. This model seems applicable to this investigation because it includes factors that could be inferred from longitudinal studies pertaining to the topic of sex differences in depression. Men and women appear to process information differently and present pathological symptoms in gender specific ways. Whereas women have been found to express feelings of depression more openly, men often suffer from mood disorders that are manifested in somatic illnesses, or anger and/or engagement in addictive behavior. To do those who deviate from societal normative categorization justice, I have also included homosexual and gender-transformed individuals in my discussion.