Gender matters : differences in depression between women and men

Mental health is not gender neutral. There is incontrovertible evidence that gender differences exist in diagnosis of a range of mental health problems, with women more likely than men to be diagnosed with mood and anxiety disorders; somatoform or factitious disorder; dissociative identity or depersonalization disorder; eating disorders; sleep and adjustment disorder; and borderline, histrionic or dependent personality disorder (Cosgrove and Riddle, 2004). Men are more likely to be diagnosed with drug or alcohol abuse, and antisocial personality disorder, than women (Bebbington, 1996; Kuehner, 2003). Whether this is a sex difference tied to biology, or a gender difference located in social conditions and roles, or indeed a combination of the two, is a matter of considerable debate – as is the very legitimacy of psychiatric diagnosis. This is a debate not simply of interest to those with an interest in gendered experience. Understanding the aetiology and course of differences in mental health between women and men can have significant implications for all programmes of prevention and amelioration. It is thus a matter which all researchers and clinicians working in the field of mental health should consider