For women, the most common forms of mental ill health are stress, tiredness,and depression.
Women and Stress
When there is too much pressure on us, we become irritableand physically tense. Pain in the neck, shoulders or lower back, headaches, dizzinessand tiredness are some of the signs of stress. We experience extra stress whenmore than one important event or crisis takes place at the same time. A crisissuch as the death of someone close to you, losing your job or getting divorcedwill cause a lot of stress. Various health disciplines give advice about how todeal with stress. Most suggest a combination of exercise and healthy eatingwith rest and relaxation. They all caution us against setting our standards toohigh and trying to be perfect – or, as women so often do, trying to beeverything to everybody.
When you are experiencing stress, it is important to findout exactly what is causing it. If you do not resolve the root problem, thestress will continue. Discuss your problems with a trusted friend or in agroup. You might also consider using the services of mental health workers.
Women and Tiredness
Many women are overtired because they have to cope with somuch as the main caregivers of society. The double shift (working away fromhome during the day and at home during evenings) also takes its toll. Too muchstress affects the body’s immune system, with the result that we feel tired allthe time and get sick often. Poor diet also contributes to high fatigue levels.Tiredness is the body’s way of calling for help.
To address tiredness, it is important to try and find outwhat causes it. Try to pinpoint what is bothering you in your personal life. Atthe same time, you should eat, sleep, and rest well. Try to do interestingthings that make you feel good - join a support group or learn a new skill.
Women and ‘Nerves’
For centuries, women have complained of suffering from their‘nerves’ – a term used to describe stress, tiredness, and depression. For somepeople, ‘nerves’ include physical symptoms such as tiredness and weakness.Others experience ‘nerves’ as an emotional state. ‘Nerves ‘mean differentthings to different people, but the condition almost always goes together withfeelings of powerlessness and lack of control.
Sometimes people use the term ‘nerves’ to refer to seriousmental illness, but the vast majority of people who feel they suffer from their‘nerves’ are not mentally ill. They are usually in situations, which almostanyone would find difficult. If a woman says, ‘I am suffering from my nerves’; sheis talking about the difficulties she faces in a way that is sociallyacceptable.
So in some ways, to suffer from ‘nerves’ may get you out ofdifficult situations. ‘Nerves’ are an example of what an anthropologist hascalled ‘the weapons of the weak’. The problem with using a weapon of the weakis that it will not change your situation or resolve problems in the long run.People tend to take those who say that they suffer from their ‘nerves’ lessseriously.
What is needed is for all people who suffer from ‘nerves’who are stressed, worried, exhausted or upset, to be given support to talk about the real problems they face andto gain more control over their lives.Achieving this goal depends on the kinds of relationships and support we buildinto our society.
Women and Depression
Most people experience difficulties in life: sometimes wefeel happy, at other times we are sad or dissatisfied with ourselves and withlife. It is quite natural to feel sad when something upsetting happens. However,when you feel stressed and tired all the time, it is important to act. Visit ahealth worker to get advice and check that you have not developed an illness.When stress does not go away, you may become depressed .People who feelpowerless and trapped often experience depression. They feel sad and worried,but also angry with themselves, with their loved ones and with theircircumstances. Sometimes they feel so frustrated and desperate that theyconsider taking their own lives.
Many women lack confidence and self-esteem, and feel theyhave no control over their lives. These feelings can contribute towardsdepression, which is the most common mental health problem among women. Hereare some of the signs of depression:
· You withdraw from people around you and fromthings that you usually enjoy.
· You are irritable and see things in a negativelight
· You are constantly unhappy and cry easily
· You feel guilty and blame yourself easily
· You feel hopeless and despairing
· Your work becomes less important
· You no longer care about your appearance
· You have little energy and are always tired - evenwhen you wake up in the morning
· You find it difficult to concentrate – you startthings but rarely finish them
· You sleep a lot less of more than usual
· You eat very little or a lot more than usual
· You lose interest in sex
Sometimesdepression can be dealt with by talking your problems through with a friend, ina group or with a mental health worker. However, it sometimes becomes so severethat you also need to take medicine so that you can start to function better.Medication should be combined with counselling, where you share problems with amental health worker to find ways of getting extra support and dealing betterwith your situation.
Depressionis often not understood. People with depression often feel judged and thismakes their recovery even more difficult. As one sufferer says, ‘People expectyou to snap out of it, but I couldn’t’. So people with depression are oftenunwilling to admit they have a problem, or they use euphemisms such as ‘abreakdown’ ‘or ‘nerves’. As in any other illness, eating well, exercise,relaxation and rest are important. These together with expressing yourself andtalking your problems through form part of many therapies. Life- skillstraining, which empowers us, helping us to express ourselves better and toresolve conflict, is also helpful.
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