According to the world statistics three fourth of suffering depression are women and only one fourth are men. Thus depression is more female disease? Not exactly. Women simply more predisposed to it due to several reasons.

Female depression – how does it works

Speaking generally all causes of the depression may be divided into two groups. Endogenous (internal) stipulated by the chemical process in the brain. Exogenous (external) that arise from stresses, nervous overfatigue, harmful situations. Thus women have quite more internal reasons that may cause depression than men.

Female depression in contrast to male one:

- develops faster;

- is deeper often.

- Metabolism features. Female hormone background changes more often and faster than the male one. This is mostly concerned to menstrual cycle. And metabolic processes are straightly affect brain processes. Hormone background may be the reason of rapid mood change throughout postmenstrual syndrome or a reason of postnatal depression.

- Female information perception features. The time when we had to prove that the female thinking is not worse than the male one it is simply another one has passed long ago. Now when it is quite obvious another question arises – what is the difference?

According to the scientists from the biochemical point of view the matter is the signal in the female brain covers much longer distance and thus involves more cerebral structures. And the longer the way – the more the possibility of distortion is, this is a universal principle equal as to mechanics and to informational technologies. In other words let’s consider this example on common umbrellas. Those one made in the form of cane is quite difficult to brake as it has too less joints. On the other hand it is quite uncomfortable as it is too big. Another umbrella consisting of 5 joints is easy to put in a handbag however its ability to be minimized several times leads to increased risk of its breakage.

- Female emotional field features. Let’s agree in advance that this item doesn’t concern everyone. However this is quite widespread fact, as many women experience certain problems with their anger expression. Partly this is caused by social regulations due to which a woman may be any but not angry one. Thus women often change their anger for offence that is accompanied by depression, blames and compassion to themselves.

However this is quite fair explanation when we say that female depression is caused only by internal factors. Indeed just consider the situation when certain hormone problems instantly lead to depression. Actually hormone changes are only the depression catalyst. The main reasons are always outside they are simply exaggerate the hormone changes. Women react to family and children problems, something wrong at home or private problems more oversensitively.

Furthermore the problem of female depression is also in its circle character. It starts with the hormone change that may be aggravated by harmful situation from life. After this information processing takes place but there is no guarantee it will run without any fails. And this in its turn causes the change of the hormones number – thus the circle is closed.

How is it possible to reveal depression?

It seems to be a naive question. It firstly seems that the depression is quite easy to reveal. We start to think about depression when nothing is able to cheer us, we experience low spirits blues.

But such vivid depression is the half the trouble. There exists masked depression.

Cathy N. a thirty years old women occupied a position in a large foreign company. The carrier growth required high responsibility and extra hours spent in the office.

Gradually the tiredness increased, Cathy fell asleep badly and in the morning she was sleepy. Her doctor diagnosed “vegetative vascular dystonia” and advised to have a rest and use vitamins. Such kind of advises are usually considered to be nonsense by the most people. But in one month Cathy experienced heart ache and some time later she discovered that the temperature of her body is constantly increased and is quite difficult to lower. On the other hand it is quite silly to take medical certificate due to this reason.

All of this is quite similar to masked depression signs that are characterized not by low spirits and by pain factors. Pain may appear in any part of the body: in your back, legs, stomach. Masked depression is typical to women: as they are more concerned about their health and thus “something wrong” in their body only aggravates the anxiety.

According to statistics those contacting doctors complaining about the signs of somatic illnesses include about 30% of people experiencing masked depression.

But let’s confess to ourselves that only hypochondriac will consider low spirits and certain aches as a depression every time they experience such aches and mood. So how it is possible to distinguish depression from other problems?

Due to doctors the regular bad sleep is one of the most qualitative depression signs like difficult falling asleep and awakening, regular nightmares as well as abstract thoughts that lead to no emotional reaction but occupy your brain instead with constant work and hindering you to fall asleep and awakening in the night.

However it doesn’t mean that you will face a depression and have to visit your doctor in case you sleep badly throughout several days. There are stress situations concerned with nervous system overtension that will recover afterwards. But in case such situations are systematic and lower the quality of living (for instance in case you have them for a whole month already) – it is better to take care about yourself.

The question when it is better to contact your doctor if you have a depression seems to be quite simple. Depression is like any other disease, thus the earlier it is being treated – the better and the less efforts will be required to treat it.

Many people of megapolises that work a lot are characterized by asthenodepressive syndrome that is one of the light forms of depression caused by the constant nervous system overload. In case we will concern it the depression will occur more often and will be longer in time. The best therapy for hardworkers is the daily schedule containing the rest and physical activities (at least a walk before going to sleep) and use of vitamins – this was our Cathy was advised to do.

More complicated forms of depression are concerned with the change of brain metabolism. Our brain requires some pleasure to have a rest. And when the dopamines release (that are responsible for the pleasure) in our body decreases a person starts to look for pleasures in the external world. But here the risk of dependence (from informational to alcohol one) increases. And like in any dependence the bigger dose is always required.

The main task of the therapy in such situation is dual: the doctor surely may prescribe you energizers and antianxiety medications. But there is no depression cured only by the medications. There is a need not only to soothe signs but also to react them properly and estimates every situation in a right way to decrease the risk of the depression in the future – and here only psychotherapy will help you. By the way it could be in quite other form than common psychotherapist’s session. Somebody will feel better after light therapy (the light impact), the other – after music therapy.

But the best thing we can do is to prevent depression as it is one of those diseases that considerably decrease the quality of living.