Taking off the rose colored glasses: exploring women’s experiences with depression

This study explores the experiences of women, between the ages of twenty-five and fortyfour, who describe themselves as being depressed. Research, to this point, has largely concentrated on investigating the possible causes and predictors of depression in women, using quantitative methodology, The purpose of this research is to create a new discourse by conducting qualitative research utilizing feminist principles. This approach gives voice to women and validates their experiences. Unstructured interviews, which elicited rich information, were conducted with six women who volunteered for this study. Their stories were audio taped and then analyzed utilizing the constant comparative method. Three themes emerged from the analysis: 1) Losing the Self, 2) Searching for Meaning and 3) Regaining the Self. Losing the Self captures the essence of the women's experiences as they talked about the physical and emotional changes they went through, and the feelings these changes gave rise to. Searching for Meaning describes the importance the women attached to making sense of their experiences, and was both internal and external as they looked at issues around control and understanding, and trying to find out who they were. Regaining the Self describes the women's healing journey as they discusses what they needed, whom they needed it from and how, and the importance of education around depression and women's issues. The results indicate that while there are commonalities, each women's experience with and understanding of depression is unique, which stresses the importance of all women being able to give voice to their own experiences and to have them validated.Arts, Faculty ofSocial Work, School ofGraduat