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Gender Roles in Mental Health: A Stigmatized Perspective

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Gender and Mental Health

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Abstract

Discourses on mental health and illness dwell on the significance of gender differentials. Various studies report that women have higher rates of mental illnesses as compared to men across the globe. There are also debates whether mental illnesses are a result of biological vulnerabilities or have a relationship with varied environmental influencers. Impact of factors related to personality characteristics or sociological aspects related to gendered role expectations of women are also being examined in addition to research evidence on the role of estrogen protective effects and hormonal changes during menarche, child birth and menopause that confer a higher risk of mental illness among women. The current paper begins with the concept of mental health and elucidates the notions of sex, gender as well as gender norms. It further locates the theoretical underpinnings of various approaches on mental health and reviews the impact of gender differences on mental health with thrust on specific psychiatric disorders seen among women. It also suggests few preventive mechanisms to reduce the incidence of mental illness among women.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry, University College of Medical Sciences and Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital, Dilshad Garden, Delhi, India

    M. S. Bhatia & Aparna Goyal

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  1. M. S. Bhatia
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  2. Aparna Goyal
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Correspondence to M. S. Bhatia .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Social Work, University of Delhi, New Delhi, Delhi, India

    Meenu Anand

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Bhatia, M.S., Goyal, A. (2020). Gender Roles in Mental Health: A Stigmatized Perspective. In: Anand, M. (eds) Gender and Mental Health. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-5393-6_4

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