What’s Behind the “Depression Gap” Impacting Women?

Women are twice as likely as men to suffer from depression, according to a host of studies. Are the reasons for this biological, sociological, or a combination of both?

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July 13, 2023 at 3:25 pm

I continue to be frustrated with how the gender bias in symptom criteria in the DSM5 perpetuates the myth that there is a gender gap in depression. The research showing that men suffer less depression and depressive symptoms is biased and inaccurate, because they are not measuring what they think they are measuring. Men and women respond differently to stress and strain due to socialization and gender expression norms. More men are depressed than studies show, but their symptoms are different and the assessments are not measuring for those types of symptoms. Men are under diagnosed for depression for the same reasons that women are under diagnosed for ADHD.
If you would like to learn more about the gender response theory, please read Robin W. Simon. She has numerous scholarly articles and is a pioneer in the area of gender identity and mental health research. I highly recommend “Sociological Scholarship on Gender Differences in Emotion and Emotional Well-Being in the United States: A Snapshot of the Field” Emotion Review; Vol. 6, No. 3 (July 2014) 196–201