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Keeping women’s mental health in good shape

Statistically, females will experience poorer mental health than males, particularly when it comes to depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and eating disorders.

Following on from Women’s Health Week earlier this month, we thought we’d look at the issues impacting on women’s mental health and ways to help keep your mental health in good shape.

What is mental health?

According to the World Health Organisation, mental health is defined as “a state of well-being in which every individual realises his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to her or his community.”

It’s essentially about our ability to maintain healthy relationships with others and to cope and function with the everyday trials, triumphs and challenges that life throws our way.

While the focus is often on keeping physically fit and healthy, good mental health is just as important to our overall health, wellbeing and quality of life.

What can affect a person’s mental health?

Mental health issues can affect anyone at any time and for a variety of reasons.

According to Health Direct, some of the most common issues that can impact on a person’s mental health include:

  • Relationship problems, separation and divorce
  • Financial stress
  • Work-related pressures
  • Unemployment or retirement
  • Physical illness
  • Social isolation
  • Pregnancy and birth of a baby
  • Drug and alcohol use
  • Death of a close friend or family member

These life events can cause a person to feel distressed and may impact on their day-to-day functioning and relationships.

While it’s common to experience ups and downs at various times throughout life, a continued or long-term feeling of distress and/or inability to function and maintain relationships with others is a cause for concern and could indicate a mental illness.

Just as with our physical health, the earlier we seek help for any mental health concerns, the better; particularly as mental health conditions are associated with poor physical health and premature death from suicide.

Women’s mental health – the stats

Overall, women and girls in Australia have poorer mental health than men and boys.

According to the National Mental Health Commission, around 1 in 6 women in Australia will experience depression and 1 in 3 women will experience anxiety during their lifetime. Postpartum depression impacts 1 in 6 women during their first year after birth. Females also experience post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and eating disorders at higher rates than males.

Recent research undertaken by the Liptember Foundation found that one in two (54%) of Australian women are currently experiencing mental health issues to some degree.

Source: Liptember Foundation, Uncovering the Reality: Examining Multi-dimensional Aspects of Women's Mental Health Report

Some of the more prevalent mental health issues affecting women include:

Depression

Depression is the most prevalent mental health condition affecting women. It involves a depressed mood or loss of pleasure or interest in activities for long periods of time.

For women who are pregnant or have recently given birth, they are also at risk of antenatal or post-natal depression (PND). PND impacts one in seven to 10 women within the first year after birth.

Signs and symptoms of depression can be physical, emotional and impact on the way you think. They can include:

  • Feeling sad, teary, anxious or irritable
  • Having negative thoughts about yourself and others
  • Feeling exhausted, guilty and/or angry a lot of the time
  • Lacking motivation and the ability to enjoy things you would normally find pleasure in
  • Changes in sleep quality (i.e. sleeping or waking up more than normal, or insomnia)
  • Loss of appetite or weight
  • Lack of interest in sex
  • Difficulty in concentrating or remembering things
  • Increased use of drugs and alcohol

Anxiety

Anxiety occurs when we have intense feelings of worry or distress that are difficult to control and start to interfere with our everyday lives, making it hard to cope with life’s ‘normal’ challenges.

Up to one-third of women and one-fifth of men will experience anxiety at some point in their lives.

Common signs and symptoms for anxiety include:

  • excessive fear or worry
  • trouble concentrating or making decisions
  • feeling irritable, tense or restless
  • experiencing nausea or abdominal distress
  • heart palpitations
  • sweating, trembling or shaking
  • trouble sleeping
  • having a sense of impending danger, panic or doom

For women, anxiety can often be exacerbated by the unique stressors they face throughout their lives, such as societal pressures around body image and social media, balancing career aspirations with family responsibilities, and hormonal changes during the menstrual cycle.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a group of stress reactions that can develop after witnessing or experiencing a traumatic event, such as death, serious injury, natural disaster or sexual violence.

The main signs and symptoms of PTSD include:

  • re-experiencing the trauma
  • avoiding reminders of the event
  • negative changes in thoughts and mood after the trauma
  • feeling ‘on edge’ and overly aroused

For women, PTSD often stems from experiences with sexual violence, domestic abuse, and other traumatic events. According to the Liptember Report, PTSD has a higher prevalence amongst women aged 40 to 49 years old, those belonging to LGBTIQA+ or indigenous communities, and those who have faced homelessness/poverty or comorbidity in their lives.

Body Image Issues and Eating Disorders

Body image relates to the thoughts, feelings, attitudes and beliefs we have about our bodies and the way we look.

While it’s normal to have times where you feel unhappy or uncomfortable in your own body, it’s these feelings start to increase or intensify that can impact on your mental health and increase your risk of engaging in unhealthy and unhelpful behaviours around food, exercise and supplements.

 

For females, body image concerns are often fueled by unrealistic beaty standards portrayed in the media, online and through societal expectations. According to the Butterfly Foundation, around 90% of young people report some concern about their body image. Body image issues can also arise for women experiencing menopause, as their bodies change.

Body image issues can lead to eating disorders, which include anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder, unspecified feeding or eating disorder, disordered eating, avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder and PICA.

Females are twice as likely to be affected by an eating disorder then males and, according to the National Mental Health Commission, 15% of women will experience an eating disorder in their lifetime.

Maintaining good mental health

There are a number of simple things you can do to help maintain your mental health. These include:

  1. Stay connected – spend time with people who make you feel good. Staying connected with family, friends and the community can provide a sense of security, support and purpose.
  2. Talk – if you are struggling with your mental health, talk about how you feel with people you trust, whether it be friends, family, co-workers, your GP or other health professional.
  3. Listen – family and friends can play an important role by providing practical and emotional support to those struggling with their mental health, even if it’s just being there to listen. If you know someone who is having mental health issues, make sure you check in with them regularly.
  4. Eat well – eating a healthy diet is not only good for your physical health, but can also help to give you a better overall sense of wellbeing.
  5. Move more – keeping active can help you stay physically fit and mentally healthy and provides a healthy outlet for everyday stresses.
  6. Cut back on drugs and alcohol – drugs and alcohol change the way your body and brain work and can cause symptoms of anxiety and depression or make an existing problem worse.
  7. Get plenty of sleep – getting a good night’s sleep is crucial for your mental health and physical wellbeing.

Need a little extra help?

The good news is that most mental illness can be effectively treated or managed and there are plenty of resources and services available for those who need a little extra help with their mental health.

Making an appointment with your GP is a good first step.

To make a booking with one of our GPs to discuss any mental health concerns you may have, contact us on (08) 9208 6400 or book online.

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