Gender and Mental Illness

Literature Review Draft

HSP 385
February 5, 2014
Olivia Cozzetto

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Gender Relations to Mental Health

Mental health in many ways has been a taboo topic among families and in society. The
social stigma surrounding mental health and mental illness clouds the perception of mental
illness. Social stigmas progress into discrimination and prejudice feelings against people who
have mental illness. Gender can affect mental illnesses and understanding what factors are
involved can help examine how the two connect. Gender can determines the diagnose of
mental illnesses, the prevalence of illness, social roles, status and treatment of the illness.
The National Alliance of Mental Health states that mental illness is experienced by 61.5
million Americans yearly (NAMI, 2014). When describing mental illness, the article Gender
Differences and Risk of Arrest Among Offenders with Serious Mental Illness by Becker, Andel,
Boaz, Constantine describe mental illness including a number of different serious illnesses such
as depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, panic disorder and posttraumatic stress disorder
(2011). Sex may result in different diagnoses and frequency of the illness. From the article titled
A gender difference in schizophrenia from the Harvard Mental Health Letter, schizophrenia is
typically diagnosed more frequently in men than in women at a 42% higher rate (2003). Both
genders may be at equal risk to get schizophrenia yet men usually show symptoms earlier than
women causing for more frequent cases in men. The article Sex differences in schizophrenia by
Abel, Drake and Goldstein adds more to understanding the influence of sex and schizophrenia
(2010). There is a strong gender difference in incidence, progression of illness and prognosis
between men and women. As mentioned in the Harvard Mental Health Letter, men have a
greater prevalence for showing schizophrenia symptoms than women. The authors Abel, Drake
and Goldstein (2010) state the cause of this finding. From a large, comprehensive

Gender and Mental Illness

epidemiological population sample in Australia looking at 1090 cases of schizophrenia came to

the conclusion that women were more likely to show depressive symptoms and emotional
symptoms while men showed more negative signs of schizophrenia (Abel, Drake and Goldstein,
2010). These results pinpoint that women are more likely to show affective symptoms than
men which shows a correlation between gender symptom expression and schizophrenia.
Depression and gender interconnectedness addressed by Nimrod, author of the article
Online Depression Communities: Does Gender Matter?, states that women are more likely to
suffer from depression but men are more likely to reject treatment and help (2012). Women
are twice as likely to experience depression yet are more likely to recognize they have an
emotional problem (Nimrod, 2012). Gender affects the treatment and incidence of depression.
Men are likely to use self-treatment such as alcohol and drugs to handle their depression which
puts them at a high risk of harm (Nimrod, 2012). Through the sample of depression community
websites and forums, the research identified that women are more willing to have an active
communication role through forums which correlates with higher levels of involvement and
lower levels of undiagnosed depression (Nimrod, 2012). Men used the depression online
community for gaining information and practical tasks. These differences between men and
women show how they used the online community site and how that affected their diagnose
and treatment.
Role in Society
According to the article Unemployment, Gender and Mental Health: the role of the gender
regime by Strandh, Hammarstrm, Nilsson, Nordenmark and Russel (2013), social roles such as

Gender and Mental Illness

careers can impact mental health depending on culture, family and number of gender
unemployment (what to use as page numbers with this article). The different positions in the
family, labor market and society contribute to the gendered differences in economic and
psychosocial importance of being employed (2). The normative role of men economically
providing for the family while traditional women stay at home plays a powerful role in the
mental health of men and women regarding unemployment and mental illness. The article
describes that employment and masculinity are strongly tied to the image that men seek and
when the two are disconnected mental illness among men rises. The article examines Ireland
and Sweden, which represents two different economic societies and gender roles. Fewer
women participate in the work force in Ireland and in Sweden the number of men and women
employed is similar with a high female participation. From the longitudinal study over the years
of 1996 to 2001, the results showed that mental illness relating to gender depends on a number
of factors. While in Ireland, the study showed that there is a stronger negative connection of
mental health among men but in Sweden here is no difference between men and womens
mental illness (Conclusion). Societys role of men and women as well as family and economic
situation affects the mental health of men and women when addressing how strong
unemployment affects mental illness.

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References

Strandh, M., Hammarstrm, A., Nilsson, K., Nordenmark, M. and Russel, H. (2013),
Unemployment, gender and mental health: the role of the gender regime. Sociology of
Health & Illness, 35: 649665. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-9566.2012.01517.x
NAMI (2014). What is mental illness? nami.org. Retrieved February 5, 2014, from
http://www.nami.org/Template.cfm?Section=By_Illness
A gender difference in schizophrenia. (2003). Harvard Mental Health Letter, 20(3), 7.
Becker, M., Andel, R., Boaz, T., & Constantine, R. (2011). Gender differences and risk of arrest
among offenders with serious mental illness. Journal Of Behavioral Health Services &
Research, 38(1), 16-28. doi:10.1007/s11414-010-9217-8
Abel, K. M., Drake, R., & Goldstein, J. M. (2010). Sex differences in schizophrenia. International
Review Of Psychiatry, 22(5), 417-428. doi:10.3109/09540261.2010.515205
Nimrod, G. (2012). Online Depression Communities: Does Gender Matter?. Cyberpsychology,
6(1), 1-10. doi:10.5817/CP2012-1-6
http://www.who.int/mental_health/prevention/genderwomen/en/