Women and Anxiety: An Overview
Women and anxiety, a topic that needs more attention in order to help women all over the globe.
According to research, anxiety disorders are some of the most common mental illnesses that affect Americans.
Among those millions of people experiencing anxiety, women are more likely to experience the symptoms that come with anxiety, depression, and other mental health illnesses.
According to research by the CDC conducted in 2019, it is women who were more likely to experience depression and anxiety compared to men. Additionally, it is women who are more likely to seek counseling, therapy and take prescription medication, in order to help with their mental health.
In this article, we’ll dive into women and anxiety – why women experience anxiety, depression, and other mental health conditions differently from men.
Let’s first get to understand better what anxiety is.
What Defines an Anxiety Disorder?
Anxiety disorders can affect each individual differently. But generally, anxiety is having an overall sense of worry, fear, or doom. These feelings usually persist for a long period of time which can greatly affect one’s everyday life.
In addition, a person with anxiety also experiences physical symptoms. These include higher blood pressure, disrupted sleep or insomnia, headaches, loss of appetite, or even nausea.
Below are more symptoms to note when dealing with anxiety.
Symptoms of Anxiety in Women and Men
Each person experiences anxiety in a different way. They may show different symptoms but there is generally a list of most common ones.
According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA), these are the most common symptoms of anxiety:
- Feeling nervous
- Easily irritated
- Feeling “on the edge”
- A general feeling of panic or sense of danger
- Increased blood pressure and heart rate
- Episodes of sweating or shaking
- Difficulty breathing
- Insomnia or staying asleep too much
- Difficulty concentrating
- Exhaustion or weakness
- Change in apetite
- Weight loss or gain
While these are the most common symptoms of anxiety, men and women experience anxiety differently.
Men and Women Can Have Different Anxiety Symptoms
Each person experiences and has different symptoms of anxiety. Additionally, men and women experience anxiety differently and also talk about their mental health differently.
While this is a general statement and of course, not all men are the same, but generally, men tend to hide their emotions as compared to women. Women are usually more open and share their thoughts and emotions.
According to several studies as well, men show more aggression or anger while women show more sadness when dealing with anxiety or depression.
Why Do Women Have an Increased Risk for Anxiety?
There are a lot of internal and external factors that cause women to have an increased risk of anxiety as compared to men. We discuss the most common ones below.
Changes in Hormones of Women Can Cause Anxiety
One of the most common causes of increased risk for anxiety among women is due to their hormone fluctuations. This is mainly caused by their monthly menstrual cycles and pregnancy.
Since men don’t go through as many changes in the body and hormones during their lifespan, this is one of the main factors that could explain why women experience anxiety differently from men.
Additionally, many anxiety disorders and mental health conditions stem from a chemical imbalance in the brain. So, the more one’s body goes through changes in the hormones, the more chemical imbalance they develop in their body which can lead to different mental health problems.
Although women may be more susceptible to mental health conditions like anxiety, they are more likely to admit it. Also, women are more likely to seek help as compared to men.
Women Deal with Puberty Differently Which Can Cause Anxiety
Men and women go through puberty differently. The changes in the body are different.
During puberty, some girls are at risk of developing depression. Why so?
Puberty isn’t only associated with the changes in the body physically. There are a lot of experiences one goes through as well during puberty. Some include:
- Issues with identity and sexuality
- Trying to understand oneself
- Pressure to achieve in school
Girls experience puberty earlier than boys which makes sense why females go through puberty at a younger age than males.
Premenstrual Problems
Some of the most common symptoms and effects of premenstrual syndrome (PMS) are abdominal pain, abdominal bloating, breast pain or tenderness, mood swings, irritability, or anxiety. These are only the general effects of premenstrual syndromes. Each woman experiences this differently.
But there are a few women who experience these symptoms severely. This can affect their personal and professional lives.
Studies show that the possible change in estrogen and progesterone levels as well as other hormones is a huge factor that affects one’s mental health.
Pregnancy Can Affect Women’s Increased Risk of Anxiety
During pregnancy, women experience large amounts of hormonal changes. This affects their mood, emotions, mental and physical well-being.
Additionally, there are other factors that increase the risk of anxiety among women during pregnancy, such as:
- Physical pain
- Mentally and emotionally challenging pregnancy
- Relationship problems
- Lack of support during pregnancy
- Unintended or unwanted pregnancy
- Complications during pregnancy
- Unable to continue certain medications during pregnancy
Postpartum depression
After giving birth, many mothers experience mood swings, find themselves irritable, sad, depressed, or anxious. This is normal due to the extreme changes in the body that the woman has gone through.
They usually subside after a few weeks. However, longer-lasting effects are called postpartum depression.
These are the signs and symptoms that are most commonly associated with postpartum depression.
- Crying and feeling sad more often
- Lower self-esteem
- Feeling numb or anxious
- Insomnia
- Suicidal thoughts
- Thoughts of harming your baby
Perimenopause and Menopause
Perimenopause is the transition in a woman’s life to menopause. Both perimenopause and menopause are stages of a woman’s life that can increase one’s risk of anxiety.
This is due to the abnormal levels of hormones as compared to usual.
What Can Help With Women’s Anxiety?
It is important to discuss your conditions with your doctor to be given the right treatment.
But there are definitely a lot of natural ways that can help.
Make sure to maintain a healthy diet, get enough rest, and exercise. Additionally, mindfulness meditation practices are powerful tools as well.
With the right knowledge, guidance, and support, you can overcome anxiety and depression.