Mental health is in the news a lot lately, especially with the increased focus on gun violence and everyone from politicians to celebrities weighing in on the state of mental health care in the United States. One issue you don’t hear a lot about is gender and mental health. Does one’s biological sex play a role in predisposition toward various conditions and type of treatment?

According to the World Health Organization, only two in every five people that experience a mood, anxiety or substance disorder actually seek treatment within the first year of the experience. And while rates of psychiatric disorder are almost identical for men and women, “striking gender differences are found in the patterns of mental illness.”

Power

Some of these differences have to do with the perceived power and control that men have over their family, personal lives and career. Women who feel less in control of their circumstances may be more prone to depression. In fact, the WHO estimates that common disorders such as anxiety and unipolar depression affect one in three people, but women are twice as likely to experience these conditions as men.

Alcohol

Alcohol dependency is another common mental health condition, and studies show that men are twice as likely as women to develop it. Similarly, men are more likely to be diagnosed with antisocial personality disorder than women, although more research is needed.

Emotions

The American Psychological Association did a study that found women tend to internalize emotions more, which leads to feelings of isolation and depression; while men tend to externalize their emotions and that is more conducive to aggressive, impulsive behavior.

Discussing mental health

Treatment for mental illness is approached differently based on gender. Treatment for women might focus on cognitive exercises to help keep the brain from dwelling too long on negative thoughts that can lead to depressive thinking. For men, treatment might look at refocusing excess energy and aggressive behavior into more positive activities.

This is obviously a very basic overview of how gender can affect mental health. It should be noted that this only looks at the differences between biological male and biological female, and doesn’t touch on the idea of gender fluidity or identity. That is an entirely different topic for discussion but which could also contribute significantly to someone’s state of mental health.

Every person is different; consult your doctor for discussion about the best mental health care plan for you.