Malhotra Savita, Shah Ruchita
Department of Psychiatry, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India.
Indian J Psychiatry. 2015 Jul;57(Suppl 2):S205-11. doi: 10.4103/0019-5545.161479.
Gender is a critical determinant of mental health and mental illness. The patterns of psychological distress and psychiatric disorder among women are different from those seen among men. Women have a higher mean level of internalizing disorders while men show a higher mean level of externalizing disorders. Gender differences occur particularly in the rates of common mental disorders wherein women predominate. Differences between genders have been reported in the age of onset of symptoms, clinical features, frequency of psychotic symptoms, course, social adjustment, and long-term outcome of severe mental disorders. Women who abuse alcohol or drugs are more likely to attribute their drinking to a traumatic event or a stressor and are more likely to have been sexually or physically abused than other women. Girls from nuclear families and women married at a very young age are at a higher risk for attempted suicide and self-harm. Social factors and gender specific factors determine the prevalence and course of mental disorders in female sufferers. Low attendance in hospital settings is partly explained by the lack of availability of resources for women. Around two-thirds of married women in India were victims of domestic violence. Concerted efforts at social, political, economic, and legal levels can bring change in the lives of Indian women and contribute to the improvement of the mental health of these women.
性别是心理健康和精神疾病的关键决定因素。女性的心理困扰和精神障碍模式与男性不同。女性内化障碍的平均水平较高，而男性外化障碍的平均水平较高。性别差异尤其体现在常见精神障碍的发病率上，其中女性占主导。在严重精神障碍的症状发作年龄、临床特征、精神病症状频率、病程、社会适应及长期预后方面均报告了性别差异。酗酒或滥用药物的女性比其他女性更有可能将饮酒归因于创伤事件或压力源，且更有可能遭受过性虐待或身体虐待。来自核心家庭的女孩和早婚女性自杀未遂和自我伤害的风险更高。社会因素和性别特定因素决定了女性患者精神障碍的患病率和病程。医院就诊率低部分原因是缺乏针对女性的资源。在印度，约三分之二的已婚女性是家庭暴力的受害者。社会、政治、经济和法律层面的协同努力能够改变印度女性的生活，并有助于改善这些女性的心理健康。
