In the United States today approximately 12 million women
suffer from depression; this is more than twice the number of male sufferers.
Biologists theorize that the high rate of depression in women it due to
internal causes, such as hormonal changes, chemical imbalances, and vulnerable
nervous systems. However, such theories fail to take into account
the harsh experiences women are faced with as part of their everyday lives
.
Depression sufferers are often treated with antidepressants in the
form of pills (prozac, zoloft, paxil and others). While in
many cases the pills do help depression sufferers, they do not answer the
question of why so many women are suffering from depression in the first
place. In addition, giving women pills does not take away the oppression
and abuse that they are often faced with. Pills do not change the
realities of women's daily lives. Women still get paid less
than men for doing the same work, they still do the majority of housework
and child caring, they still are held to extremely high beauty standards
that they can't possibly live up to, and the sexual exploitation they experience
as children and adults remains.
Antidepressant pills do not change our society; they are merely a temporary
cover up solution. When thinking about depression it is important
to realize that depression takes place within the larger social context.
It is time that our focus shifts from the individual problem of depression
to the systems that cause, support, and benefit from it.
This web site aims to increase women's awareness of depression through
education, referrals, and empowerment. |
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