Women and Depression

Women experience depression at roughly twice the rate as men. What might account for this large difference? Could the difference be biologically or socially based? Although psychologists do not yet have all the answers, new research is providing important insights into this problem. This exercise examines the topic of women and depression. The first set of questions requires you to think critically and independently about this topic. Answer the following questions on your own:

1. Is it possible that women are simply more willing to admit to being depressed than men are? As a researcher, how could you assess rates of depression in a way that minimized this potential reporting problem? To answer this question: a) describe the method you would choose to collect your data; b) explain why you chose that method; and c) describe the specific measures you would take to minimize the anticipated reporting problem.

2. What biological factors might account for women's greater susceptibility to depression?

3. What social factors might account for their greater susceptibility?

4. Young boys and girls have been shown to suffer from depression equally until they reach adolescence. At that point, depression becomes much more common in women. What might account for this change?

Now go to the Web site to complete this exercise:

http://www.nimh.nih.gov/publicat/depwomenknows.cfm

5. Compare your answers to Questions 2 and 3 to the information provided by the National Institute of Mental Health. Use this new information to write an essay of two to three paragraphs outlining the causes of depression in women.

6. Compare your answer to Question 4 to that provided by the author. Was your response similar? If it wasn't, it doesn't mean your hypothesis is necessarily wrong, just that you'd need to design a study to test your idea. Describe how you would design a study to test your hypothesis. Keep your description relatively brief.