Risk for Mental Health Conditions Vary by Gender

Women are more likely to develop anxiety and mood disorders such as depression, while men's mental health issues are more likely to involve antisocial personality and substance use disorders, a new study says. Researchers, whose findings are reported in the Journal of Abnormal Psychology, say the differences are due to the fact that women are more likely to internalize their emotions, which can bring on withdrawal, loneliness and depression, whereas men externalize them, becoming aggressive and impulsive. 

Researchers analyzed the answers to interview questions from 43,093 U.S. adults during a 2001 National Institutes of Health survey. For depression, 22.9 percent of women said they had had the condition during their lifetime; 13.1 percent of men said they had. The study showed 7.2 percent of women had panic disorder, and 5.8 percent had generalized anxiety disorder, while just 3.7 and 3.1 percent of men had those conditions, respectively. Among conditions more common in men were alcohol dependence and antisocial personality. (HealthDay News, 8/23/11) 

Reposted at darkestcloset.blogspot.com