7 Life Events That Take A Toll On Women’s Mental Health. We Wish People Discussed These More!
Mental health is a very essential topic and it isn’t talked about as often as it needs to be. This is one of the reasons why a lot of people in our society are still suffering without getting any help for their psychological burden and pain. If I’m being honest, people just don’t realise the fact that it isn’t just the physiological problems that hurt, mental health can be equally messed up and scarring. Painfully enough, women are a part of the population that suffers the worst when it comes to mental health issues. In fact, even most social and economic factors also end up putting women at risk of developing mental issues. There are a lot of factors and life events that tend to take a major toll on women and their mental health.
7 Factors That Take A Toll On Women’s Mental Health
1. Toxic Relationships And Breakups
When it comes to extremely toxic relationships, women tend to suffer the most because they get emotionally invested and then, get their hearts crushed. Breakups tend to leave women feeling more hurt, emotional and vulnerable. These take a very heavy toll on women.
2. Rise In Violence And Abuse
We live in a world where there is an undoubted rise in crimes against women. These crimes can leave physical, emotional as well as psychological scars on women. Victims of abuse are also more likely to face trauma-induced mental health issues. These scars run very deep and it’s very hard to deal with them.
3. Menstrual Cycles And Cramps
Periods can be very hard on women. They mess up their entire systems and leave them feeling useless, sad and awful, no thanks to the hormones! It can also give rise to feelings of inadequacy and lead to some major mental issues like depression, anxiety and even body dysmorphia.
4. Gender-Based Discrimination
Women are already discriminated against as the “weaker” sex. Furthermore, women who identify as lesbian, bisexual and other sexualities experience a higher rate of mental health issues like anxiety and depression as opposed to heterosexual women. Trying to be proud of their sexual identity and expressing their sexuality freely leaves a lot of women to deal with discrimination from the masses as a whole.
5. Infertility And Perinatal Loss
Infertility and miscarriage are some experiences that affect many people. Not being able to become a mother can leave a lot of women feeling awful and inadequate. Losing your baby through miscarriage is also a very traumatic experience that leaves a lot of women feeling down in the dumps, leading to mental issues.
6. Pregnancy, Having Babies And Becoming A Mother
It’s not uncommon for women to experience anxiety and depression after delivering a baby. The mental health of these women is at greater risk of suicide and self-harm if they experience discrimination, exclusion, bullying and abuse. And let’s not forget post-partum depression. Also, the risk increases if they don’t have any family or friends to support them.
7. Menopause
Menopause can be a major change for women just like menstrual cycles are. The whole process can increase the risk of developing mental health issues. Moreover, hormones do tend to make women feel messed up, lost and beyond hurt. Women who experience surgical or early menopause are at an even greater risk of depression.
Also Read: 6 Things That Men Do That Hinder Women’s Mental Health Without Realizing It
It is very essential for the masses to understand that women go through a lot in their lives. All they need is our love, attention, focus and of course, our support. Even when it comes to mental health issues, women need more attention. They also need more access to professional aid and therapy. It’s about time we make mental health equal in this unequal world. Isn’t it?
