Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

An Introduction to Women’s Mental Health

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Women's Mental Health

  • 1257 Accesses

Abstract

Over the last three decades, an emerging body of research has achieved great improvements on the way we understand not only psychosocial and cultural aspects of sex differences, but also biological basis and how this knowledge could advance preventive, diagnostic, government policies, and therapeutic health-care practices. What follow are some introductory aspects of evidence-based strategies, key terms, and concepts in this interdisciplinary area of women’s mental health which will be discussed in more detail over the next chapters.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 69.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 89.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 119.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Fine C. Neuroscience. His brain, her brain? American Association for the Advancement of Science. Science. 2014;346(6212):915–6.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Institute of Medicine. In: Wizemann TM, Pardue M-L, editors. Exploring the biological contributions to human health: does sex matter? Washington, DC: The National Academies Press; 2001.

    Google Scholar 

  3. Blehar MC. Public health context of women’s mental health research. Psychiatr Clin North Am. 2003;26(3):781–99.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. McEwen BS. Invited review: estrogens effects on the brain: multiple sites and molecular mechanisms. J Appl Physiol. 2001;91(6):2785–801.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Syan SK, Minuzzi L, Smith M, Costescu D, Allega OR, Hall GBC, et al. Brain structure and function in women with comorbid bipolar and premenstrual dysphoric disorder. Front Psych. 2017;8:301.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Holsen LM, Lancaster K, Klibanski A, Whitfield-Gabrieli S, Cherkerzian S, Buka S, et al. HPA-axis hormone modulation of stress response circuitry activity in women with remitted major depression. Neuroscience. 2013;250:733–42.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Jessen HM, Auger AP. Sex differences in epigenetic mechanisms may underlie risk and resilience for mental health disorders. Epigenetics. 2011;6(7):857–61.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Hodes GE. Sex, stress, and epigenetics: regulation of behavior in animal models of mood disorders. Biol Sex Differ. 2013;4(1):1.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Monk C, Feng T, Lee S, Krupska I, Champagne FA, Tycko B. Distress during pregnancy: epigenetic regulation of placenta glucocorticoid-related genes and fetal neurobehavior. AJP. 2016;173(7):705–13.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Bowers ME, Yehuda R. Intergenerational transmission of stress in humans. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2015;41(1):232–44.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Lokuge S, Frey BN, Foster JA, Soares CN, Steiner M. Depression in women: windows of vulnerability and new insights into the link between estrogen and serotonin. J Clin Psychiatry. 2011;72(11):e1563–9.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Abrahams N, Devries K, Watts C, Pallitto C, Petzold M, Shamu S, et al. Worldwide prevalence of non-partner sexual violence: a systematic review. Lancet. 2014;383(9929):1648–54.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Ellsberg M, Arango DJ, Morton M, Gennari F, Kiplesund S, Contreras M, et al. Prevention of violence against women and girls: what does the evidence say? Lancet. 2015;385(9977):1555–66.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Kessler RC, McGonagle KA, Swartz M, Blazer DG, Nelson CB. Sex and depression in the National Comorbidity Survey. I: lifetime prevalence, chronicity and recurrence. J Affect Disord. 1993;29(2–3):85–96.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Joel D, McCarthy MM. Incorporating sex as a biological variable in neuropsychiatric research: where are we now and where should we be? Neuropsychopharmacology. 2017;42(2):379–85.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Lopez AD, Murray CC. The global burden of disease, 1990–2020. Nat Med. 1998;4(11):1241–3.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Dias RS, Lafer B, Russo C, Del Debbio A, Nierenberg AA, Sachs GS, et al. Longitudinal follow-up of bipolar disorder in women with premenstrual exacerbation: findings from STEP-BD. AJP. 2011;168(4):386–94.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Thomson M, Sharma V. Weighing the risks: the management of bipolar disorder during pregnancy. Curr Psychiatry Rep. 2018;20(3):20.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Lobo RA. Where are we 10 years after the Women’s Health Initiative? J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2013;98(5):1771–80.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Patorno E, Huybrechts KF, Bateman BT, Cohen JM, Desai RJ, Mogun H, et al. Lithium use in pregnancy and the risk of cardiac malformations. N Engl J Med. 2017;376(23):2245–54.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Robinson GE, Einarson A. Risks of untreated depression outweigh any risks of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). Hum Reprod. 2013;28(4):1145–6.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Santangeli L, Sattar N, Huda SS. Impact of maternal obesity on perinatal and childhood outcomes. Best Pract Res Clin Obstet Gynaecol. 2015;29(3):438–48.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Clark CB, Zyambo CM, Li Y, Cropsey KL. The impact of non-concordant self-report of substance use in clinical trials research. Addict Behav. 2016;58:74–9.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. Ramoz LL, Patel-Shori NM. Recent changes in pregnancy and lactation labeling: retirement of risk categories. Pharmacotherapy. 2014;34(4):389–95.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Hommer DW. Male and female sensitivity to alcohol-induced brain damage. Alcohol Res Health. 2013;27(2):181–5.

    Google Scholar 

  26. Retson TA, Sterling RC, Van Bockstaele EJ. Alcohol-induced dysregulation of stress-related circuitry: the search for novel targets and implications for interventions across the sexes. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry. 2016;65:252–9.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  27. Jones KL. The effects of alcohol on fetal development. Birth Defects Res C Embryo Today. 2011;93(1):3–11.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  28. Ross EJ, Graham DL, Money KM, Stanwood GD. Developmental consequences of fetal exposure to drugs: what we know and what we still must learn. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2014;40(1):61–87.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  29. Brown QL, Sarvet AL, Shmulewitz D, Martins SS, Wall MM, Hasin DS. Trends in marijuana use among pregnant and nonpregnant reproductive-aged women, 2002–2014. JAMA. 2017;317(2):207–9.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  30. Roberts SCM, Nuru-Jeter A. Women’s perspectives on screening for alcohol and drug use in prenatal care. Womens Health Issues. 2010;20(3):193–200.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  31. O’Connor E, Rossom RC, Henninger M, Groom HC, Burda BU. Primary care screening for and treatment of depression in pregnant and postpartum women. JAMA. 2016;315(4):388–406.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  32. Condon J. Women’s mental health: a “wish-list” for the DSM-5. Arch Womens Ment Health. 2010;13(1):5–10.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  33. Sharma V, Mazmanian D. The DSM-5 peripartum specifier: prospects and pitfalls. Arch Womens Ment Health. 2014;17(2):171–3.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  34. Wittchen H-U. Women-specific mental disorders in DSM-V: are we failing again? Arch Womens Ment Health. 2010;13(1):51–5.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Brazilian Association of Psychiatry, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    Jeronimo Mendes-Ribeiro

  2. Brazilian Association of Psychiatry (ABP), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    Antonio Geraldo da Silva

  3. University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil

    Joel Rennó Jr.

  4. Brazilian Association of Psychiatry (ABP), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    Joel Rennó Jr.

Authors
  1. Jeronimo Mendes-Ribeiro
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Antonio Geraldo da Silva
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Joel Rennó Jr.
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil

    Joel Rennó Jr.

  2. Women’s Mental Health Clinic, Incestuous Families Treatment Clinic of Clinica’s Hospital, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil

    Gislene Valadares

  3. Federal University of Pernambuco, Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil

    Amaury Cantilino

  4. Brazilian Association of Psychiatry, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    Jeronimo Mendes-Ribeiro

  5. Private Practice, São Lucas Medical Institute Criciúma, Santa Catarina, Brazil

    Renan Rocha

  6. Brazilian Association of Psychiatry (ABP), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    Antonio Geraldo da Silva

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2020 Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Mendes-Ribeiro, J., da Silva, A.G., Rennó, J. (2020). An Introduction to Women’s Mental Health. In: Rennó Jr., J., Valadares, G., Cantilino, A., Mendes-Ribeiro, J., Rocha, R., Geraldo da Silva, A. (eds) Women's Mental Health. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-29081-8_1

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-29081-8_1

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-29080-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-29081-8

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation