mental health of women

Mental health of women
November 20, 2007


Article : Doreen Allotey
THE general perception that more women than men get mentally ill has been debunked by Dr Akwasi Osei, the Medical Director of the Accra Psychiatric Hospital.
Dr Osei says that even though certain types of mental illnesses are peculiar to women, almost the same proportion of women to men get mentally ill. Both men and women can also suffer from the kind of mental illnesses that afflict men.
“Out of the 23 wards in this hospital, for instance, 16 are for males and seven are for women,” he said.
There are, however, certain types of mental illnesses that women alone are vulnerable to. These illnesses come about as a result of the biological make up of women, the multiple roles they play as mothers, housewives and career women, as well as unofficial breadwinners of their families and the very environment and culture they find themselves in — an environment which suppresses women, an environment in which males dominate and would rather have women remain silent and unheard.
Dr Osei believes that if women would manage the time for their profession, domestic chores and church activities effectively, they would cut down on stress. He has observed that women often love to spend more time on church activities like all-night sessions, instead of sharing the time among their other activities, putting stress on themselves by so doing, instead of bringing them relief.
“ All-night sessions may be good but too many of them, especially when your partner does not agree, is likely to bring problems,” Dr Osei states.
By their very nature , women tend to harbour their worries rather than voice them out and in so doing they create a lot of mental stress for themselves. Even if you notice a change in their countenance and ask if something is wrong, they say “ it’s nothing”.
While men are more likely to talk about their worries and forget about them or steep themselves in alcohol, women would rather brood over their worries and get depressed. Even if they tell people about their worries, they tell many people who will gossip about them and the result is nowhere near a solution to their problems, bringing about acrimony.
To this situation, Dr Osei recommends that women learn to be a bit more open to a confidante, counsellor, mental health worker, religious leader, church elder, family member, trusted friend, etc who would listen to them and counsel them in order that they can let go off some steam and keep their sanity.
The process of pregnancy and childbirth, which has remained exclusive to women, is also something which could cause some mental problems to some of them. Depending on the individual, a woman may develop an illness called puerperal psychosis. This illness, according to Dr Osei, occurs within six weeks after a woman is delivered of a baby.
The woman may become aggressive towards her baby and may even try to harm it. She may refuse to breastfeed the baby. She may sit withdrawn, with no interest in what is happening around her, or she may either show signs of depression or become manic or over elated. If she has that illness it will not be out of place to find her screaming for no apparent cause.
Depression happens more in women than in men, at a ratio of 2:1.
Dr Osei ties this illness to genetic factors, marital difficulties and the lack of co-operation from partners as a trigger and states that a woman who has once suffered from mental illness is vulnerable to puerperal psychosis. The fact that a woman is carrying a second person could even present stress.
Fortunately, this kind of mental illness is easy to treat but it may recur in subsequent deliveries. A woman who has had this kind of illness should take her ante-natal care seriously and should be supervised during delivery by a professional health worker or a trained traditional birth attendant. A woman who has suffered the condition before should involve a mental health worker two weeks before and after being delivered of her baby to prevent a relapse.
Menopause can also have some mental health implications for women. Mild depression is associated with pre and post menopause and women who notice the signs should seek medical assistance if the symptoms become unbearable. The symptoms of menopause include hot flushes, sweating profusely, agitation at the slightest irritation. Other symptoms are mood swings, anxiety, disturbing memory lapses, hair loss, itchy crawly skin, trouble sleeping at night with or without night sweats and loss of libido.
This is likely to occur in women over 45 years even though there are indications that it is occuring in women who are younger.
With menopause, Dr Osei appeals to partners to be supportive and tolerant, showing the women more love and care.
What the doctor may do to help the situation will be to give the woman some hormone replacement therapy and monitor the situation, adjusting the therapy as he or she deems fit. He or she may also give a mild anti-depressant.
Another condition which is exclusive to females is the period before menstruation and after — pre and post-menstrual syndrome, which is termed “the blues”. This has to do with moods.
The first onset of menstruation can even cause fear in some females, hence the need to prepare girls psychologically for it. In the past this took the form of “bragoro” where the girl is ushered into puberty with some rites involving education on the subject of menstruation, among others. In the absence of this, parents and guardians should prepare girls through education on the subject.
Pain during menses (dysmenorrhea) can be a problem.
To protect the mental health of children, the medical director advises that parents should not entrust the care of their babies to other children.
He explains that if a child has a big fall, it could have implications for the child’s mental health.
Dr Osei is strongly against child battering and abuse. This is because he knows that corporal punishment, slapping and knocking a child hard on the head could have undesirable effects on it.
He is against the verbal abuse of children as well and says this could make children lose their self-confidence, become timid and react in a violent manner which could consequently become a problem for society as a whole.
Women can take care of their mental health and have a fruitful life if they make the consciuos effort of seeking medical assistance to solve their health problems.