Gender Variance: An Ongoing Challenge to Medico-Psychiatric Nosology (original) (raw)

Sex and gender in psychopathology: DSM–5 and beyond

Psychological Bulletin, 2019

Sex and gender differences in psychopathology have been understudied, yet identifying and understanding variability by sex and gender is important for the development of comprehensive etiological models as well as effective assessment and treatment of psychopathology in all persons. In the current article, we discuss the importance of sex and gender in psychopathology research, review terminology used when examining these constructs, and present multiple explanations for differential prevalence rates. Next, we review articles from psychopathology journals and conclude that researchers more often include both males and females than they did two decades ago, but still do not consistently analyze by sex or gender. We also provide an update of male-to-female ratios as presented in the DSM-5 and conduct a systematic review of the literature for selected disorders. We conclude that the DSM-5 presentation of sex or gender ratios is not systematic. Finally, we provide suggestions for the next DSM task force, researchers, journal editors, and funding agencies. These recommendations focus on more consistently and systematically considering sex and gender in all aspects of psychopathology research. Public Significance Statement The authors reviewed existing theories for interpreting sex differences in psychopathology. Next, they reviewed data from major journals and concluded that researchers often include both sexes but do not consistently analyze data by sex, which limits practical applications. Rates of mental health problems for males and females as presented in the diagnostic manual were also reviewed, and the authors systematically compared this information to the literature for selected disorders. They conclude that the presentation of sex/gender ratios is not systematic.

Gender and Mental Health: By Pauline M. Prior

The British Journal of Psychiatry, 2000

It has been consistently observed and found in research that there are marked gender differences in the prevalence of many mental disorders. The paper will examine the most common mental health issues and their differential prevalence among men and women. The paper will also throw light on the various psychological models of gender development which might help in understanding the possible reasons of differential rate of different disorders among women and men. The paper will focus more on the psychosocial origin of gender differences in various mental health issues. It has implications to bring changes in socialization patterns, parenting practices, coping styles, reinforcement contingencies, shedding negative stereotypes to decrease the prevalence of some gender specific disorders.

Gender differences in the diagnosis of mental disorders: Conclusions and controversies of the DSM-IV

Psychological Bulletin - PSYCHOL BULL, 1998

One of the more controversial issues in terms of mental disorder diagnoses has been their differential sex prevalence. The conclusions provided in the 4th edition of the American Psychiatric Association's {1994) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders were derived from systematic reviews of the research literature. However, this research is perhaps complicated by common sources of error. Two sources, in particular, are emphasized here: biases in sampling and biases within the diagnostic criteria themselves. The potential for such biases is illustrated for a wide variety of mental disorder diagnoses, and suggestions for research to address them are provided. One of the more controversial issues for mental disorder diagnoses has been their differential sex prevalence. The diagnoses that generated the most controversy in the development of the recent editions of the American Psychiatric Association's (APA's) influential Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM; APA, 1980, 1987, 1994) were controversial largely because of their questionable application to one sex relative to the other (Ross, Frances, & Widiger, 1995). The critiques of decisions made for the third (DSM-III), revised third (DSM-III-R), and fourth (DSM-IV) editions of the DSM have often focused on issues concerning a purported sex

The effects of gender on diagnosis of psychological disturbance

Journal of behavioral …, 1991

This research examines the effect of patient gender on the detection of psychological disturbance. In Study 1, primary-care patients were requested to complete the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ), a measure of nonpsychiatric psychological disturbance, prior to their consultation. The patient's GHQ score was compared with physician judgments about the level of disturbance in that patient (N = 1913). Although there were a similar number of GHQ high scorers among males and females, the physicians classified significantly more females than males as disturbed. The doctors classified as disturbed a larger proportion of nondisturbed women than nondisturbed men. In order to explore the behavior of recent medical graduates, Study 2 examined the detection behavior of interns in an outpatient department with 384 of their patients. The interns behaved in a similar manner to the primary-care physicians.

Gender and Mental Health: A Comparative Study

Bhagat Singh, Ajay Kumar, Anita Moral, 2015

The present study aimed to compare the mental health of male and female students. To test the hypotheses, a sample of 346 students (173 male and 173 female), age group 16 to 23 years, was used to collect the data. The Mental Health Battery (MHB) developed by Dr. Arun Kumar Singh and Dr. Alpana Sen Gupta was used. ‘CR’ and Pearson correlation co-efficient (two tailed) was calculated. Results showed that there is no significant difference (t = 0.201, p<0.841) between the mental health scores of male and female students. There was no significant correlation (r = -0.011, p<0.841) between the gender and mental health scores. Thus it can be concluded that there is no gender difference in mental health scores of college students. There is also no correlation between gender and mental health. ####### Key Words:- Gender, Mental Health, College Students Cite this paper as – Singh, B., Kumar, A. & Moral, A. (2015). Gender and Mental Health: A Comparative Study. Adhikar, 7 (5), 34-44.