Depression gender differences

A variety of kinds of evidence have linked emotional behavior to hormones. Two conditions, the menstrual cycle and menopause, have been the focus of a great deal of research on human behavior. In addition, gender differences in the prevalence of mental illnesses have been used as indirect evidence for possible hormonal effects on emotional disorders. For example, depression is more common in women than in men. In contrast, a pubertal onset of schizophrenia is more common in males than females (Hafner, et al., 1993), although the lifetime occurrence of schizophrenia is approximately equal in men and women (Seeman, 1996). Effects of hormones on emotional lability in men are described above in the context of aggression. 

Sloan DME, Komstein SG. Gender differences in depression and response to antidepressant treatment. Psychiatr Clin North Am 2003 26(3) 581-594. 

In this context, gender differences may be an important factor, particularly because women have a greater incidence of depression. Generally, women have lower seizure thresholds than men. Further differences in lateralization of brain function may produce differences in cognitive side effects, particularly fewer side effects with UND ECT in women (132). 

Gorman JM Gender differences in depression and response to psychotropic medication. Gend Med 2006 3(2) 93. [PMID 16860269]... 

Kornstein SG (1997) Gender differences in depression Implications for treatment. J Clin Psych 58 12-18... 

Frackiewicz EJ, Sramek JJ, Cutler NR. Gender differences in depression and antidepressant pharmacokinetics and adverse events. Ann Pharma-cother 2000 34 80-88. 

A. Solomon, The Noonday Demon An Atlas of Depression (New York Scribner s, 2001) S. Nolen-Hoeksema, Sex Differences in Depression (Stanford, Calif Stanford University Press, 1990) D. Jack, Silencing the Self Women and Depression (Cambridge, Mass. Harvard University Press, 1991) See also R. Simon, Revisiting the Relationships among Gender, Marital Status, and Mental Health, American Journal of Sociology 107 (January 2002) 1065-1096. 

Cultural and ethnic differences are more important than we would initially suspect Psychiatric syndromes present differently in different cultures—cultural and ethnic pathoplastic effects different attitudes toward medications and variations in pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, depending on genetics and ethnic origin. Even when we examine the response to treatment in genders, the results differ. For example, women will do better than men when treated for depression with SSRIs than with TCAs. 

Many of the examples quoted involve central nervous system drugs. This is very important, as gender-related prescription usage is heavily weighted in this area toward women. The FDA 1985 drug utilization report showed that for benzodiazepines, the increased usage in women outnumbers men by 2 1 (339 vs. 171 prescriptions/ 1000 women and men, respectively). Twice as many women are treated for depression and anxiety neurosis than men, first described by Raskin (1974), and confirmed by Weissman and Klerman (1977). It is by no means certain that this is solely due to biochemical differences, for women are more likely to seek help than men. Of importance from the prior discussion is that, if women are... 

The normative lithium requirement of humans is assessed at < 100 tg per day, as all German test subjects of both genders took in between < 100 and > 3500 tg Li per day without showing deficiency symptoms, even at the lowest intake amounts (Anke etal. 1995, 1997b). However, deficiency symptoms may occur in dialysis patients, in kidney failure and in parenteral nutrition. Based on intake data in different countries, Schrauzer (2002) suggested a provisional recommended dietary allowance (RDA) of 1 mg Li per day for a 70-kg adult. Compared with the above intake data, therapeutic effectiveness in the treatment of manic-depressive disorders is achieved at doses of 140 to 280 mg Li per day - about 100 to 300 times higher than RDA (Schou... 

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