If you are a woman who has experienced the disabling grip of depression, you aren’t alone. Approximately 25 percent of women and 10 percent of men experience depression at some point during their lives.

Adolescence is the first time girls show a higher incidence of depression than males of the same age. Teenage girls outnumber teenage boys with depression and anxiety-related disorders almost two to one. Sheila Marcus, M.D., associate professor of psychiatry, and section director, child and adolescent psychiatry, University of Michigan, says, “Any time there is a hormone shift, increased estrogen or decreased estrogen, there is an upsurge in affective disorders.” Marcus adds, “There are a number of different ways we can help women with depression at whatever point in their lifespan it occurs. There are things we can recommend behaviorally in terms of sleep, exercise, stress management strategies and communication skills.”

Cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) and interpersonal therapy (IPT) are two treatment options. Both rely on communication as the basic tool for changing feelings and behaviors. CBT looks at the ways thoughts influence moods and teaches people strategies to raise or even out their moods by helping them identify their own negative and irrational thoughts. Women in particular benefit from CBT, because they are more likely than men to have recurrent worrying that can be helped by CBT. IPT is a short-term therapy (usually involving up to 20 sessions) that maintains a focus on one or two key issues that seem to be most closely related to the depression. IPT targets interpersonal events and is very helpful for women going through interpersonal transitions such as getting a job, the birth of a child, losing a parent or experiencing a conflicted relationship at home or at work.

Marcus says that patients benefit from the range of programs the University of Michigan Depression Center offers. There are programs for infant mental health (including an early attachment program for moms and their babies) and youth mental health, as well as a comprehensive perinatal depression program. The U-M Depression Center offers CBT-trained therapists, IPT-trained therapists and a unique sleep program at the U-M Sleep and Chronophysiology Lab.

Depression is treatable, and there is a range of successful options including psychotherapy, medications or a combination of both.

To learn more about how depression affects women at different life stages or to use online screening,
visit the University of Michigan Depression Center Web site. To schedule an appointment, call (734) 936-4400.

depression at different life stages
Adolescence Approximately 20 percent of adolescents will experience meaningful symptoms of depression by the time they enter adulthood. The peak ages of onset for those who develop major depressive disorders are 15–24. The good news is that the earlier in life that depression is diagnosed and treated, the greater the likelihood of achieving remission and the less severe it will be later.
Pregnancy Approximately 10 percent of women will experience depression during pregnancy. The most likely women to have depression during pregnancy have a personal or family history of depression.
Postpartum As many as 80 percent of women experience a phenomenon called the “postpartum blues” when women are tearful or extremely sensitive and may be more moody. The “blues” usually resolve without treatment within one to two weeks of giving birth. About 12–15 percent of women develop more serious postpartum depression which involves more significant symptoms of depression that can continue for weeks or months following delivery. Rapidly changing hormones seem to play a role in sensitizing women to depression.
Premenstrual Dysphoria While many women report some history of premenstrual mood changes and physical symptoms, an estimated 3–4 percent suffer severe symptoms that significantly interfere with work and social functioning.
Midlife Studies show that depression is more likely to occur in the years during transition to menopause, or the perimenopausal years. This period is associated with gradual declines in estrogen levels that may affect mood.