Chapter 12



Chapter 12 Women and Psychological Disorders

Terminology

Psychological Disorders-emotions, thoughts and behaviors maladaptive, distressing and different from social norms

Antisocial personality disorder—behaviors that violate rights of others.

Men 3X likely than women

Depression

Major depressive disorder: Characteristics of Depression

1. Emotional symptoms: feeling sad, gloomy, tearful, guilty, apathetic, irritable, and unable to experience pleasure.

2. Cognitive symptoms: thoughts of inadequacy, worthlessness, helplessness, self-blame, and pessimism; these depressed thoughts interfere with normal functioning, so that the individual has trouble concentrating and making decisions.

3. Behavioral symptoms: decreased ability to do ordinary work, neglected personal appearance, decreased social contacts, and sleep disturbance. Many depressed individuals attempt suicide.

4. Physical symptoms: illnesses such as indigestion, headaches, dizzy spells, fatigue, and generalized pain. Weight gain or weight loss is also common.

Explanations for the Gender Difference in Depression

In North America, women are two to three times more likely than men to experience depression during their lifetime.

Factors No Longer Considered Relevant

Biological Factors—biochemical components, hormonal fluctuations, genetic factors—2X chromosomes

Differences in Seeking Help—more likely to seek medical help—incidence depression in general population women more likely

Diagnostic Biases in Therapists

Overdiagnosing Women and Underdiagnosing men—stereotypes guide clinicians—of men being “tough”. Men may drink excessively when depressed, so diagnosis missed

General Discrimination Against Women—accomplishments devalued. Sexist treatment likely to report depression

Discrimination in the Workplace: . Work issues—hire and promote, work less rewarding and prestigious. Little control over lives

Poverty—social class and well-being linked. Higher depression with lower economic

Housework—full time homemaker—work undervalued and unstimulating, cares for others.

Role buffer effect-work and home

Study by Golding (1990) 100 women: housework amounts contributed tohousehold strain, related to depression

Emphasis on Physical Appearance—adolescence begin excessive concern about physical appearance. Body changes found to be unappealing compared to thin fashion models. Dissatisfaction contributes to depression

Violence—females frequent targets of violence. Child sexual abuse; sexual harassment; physical abuse, and rape.

Women's Relationships—women give more social support than receive in marital relationship. Women likely to feel responsible for relationship. Believe should be more unselfish.

May become overly involved in friends and family members’ lives—may neglect own needs

Responses to Depression—men and women respond differently when experience depressed mood.

Ruminative Style: more common in women. contemplate possible causes and consequences of their emotions. Worry, think about all things wrong in their life

Prolongs and intensifies bad mood, creates negative bias in thinking and brings about pessimism. Blame selves and feel helpless: increases likelihood of long term, serious depression.

Distracting Style—think of other things, find other activities when depressed mood, may help lift person out of depressed mood. Think more clearly when less depressed

Conclusions About Gender and Depression

Addressing societal inequities—change society, lessen depression

Individual psychological problems occur in a social context—recognize contributions of society into women’s lives. Poverty, for example

Eating Disorders and Related Problems—most women preoccupied with their weight. Thoughts drawn away from social pleasures and professional concerns because focus on physical appearance and dieting

Anorexia Nervosa—90% female.

extreme fear of becoming obese

refusal to maintain an adequate body weight—85% expected weight

Onset—14-18 yrs old, concerns with body size often begin earlier

Slightly overweight, comment then leads to severe dieting. For others, stressful life event. Many tend to be overly perfectionistic and eager to please others.

Medical consequences: amenorrhea—cessation of menstruation; heart lung, kidney, and gastrointestinal disorders; changes in brain structures; osteoporosis(low levels estrogen and lack of nutrition); death—5–10 % die

Treatment—difficult—also meet criteria for major depression. 40 % recover; 35% show improvement. When treatment begins in early stages—recovery more likely

Bulimia Nervosa-90 % female, common in colleges

maintain normal body weight--so difficult to diagnose

frequent episodes of binge eating—secretive, 2-3000 calories at a time

inappropriate methods to prevent weight gain (vomiting, laxatives, excessive dieting or exercise) between binges.

Obsesses about food, eating and phsical appearance.

Medical consequences—not as life threatening as anorexia, but difficult to treat, associated with serious medical and psychological problems

gastrointestinal, heart, liver, and metabolism problems

Binge-Eating Disorder

frequent episodes of binge eating

not followed by use of inappropriate methods to compensate for binges

typically overweight

The Culture of Slimness: concern with being overweight—N. American females

Media Images—media emphasize weight consciousness and dieting. Study by Malkin (1999) 78% of covers on women magazines contained weight loss message, physical appearance info. None found on men magazine covers. Fashion models underweight, look anorexic.

Girls who frequently read fashion magazines likely to be especially dissatisfied with own bodies. Women feel worse after shown photographs or TV ads featuring slender models, rather than neutral images.

Discrimination Against Overweight Women—given lower salaries and experience other forms job discrimination. Less likely to be viewed as sexually attractive and less likely to marry.

First graders report would rather be friends with slender child than heavier one.

Females' Dissatisfaction with Their Bodies—emaciated women are the ideal—many females unhappy about own bodies.

Survey(1995) 803 adult women in US, ½ dissatisfied with body weight, hips and stomach. Rated selves as heavier , college women believe other women thinner than they themselves are.

Elementary children concern about fat and dieting, connection to negative self concepts

Culture encourages young women to evaluate selves based on how look to others; produces unhappiness and focuses attention on superficial characteristics and on themselves

Women of Color, Body Image, and Slimness—Black women more satisfied with body image than European American women.

Mixed results in Latina women—some less preoccupied with slimness

Being Overweight and Dieting

Being overweight is not classified as a mental disorder

Health risks

Dieting

Change in metabolism

Accepting one's own body

Strategies

Consumer activism

Acceptance of a greater range of body sizes

................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download