International Women’s Day – Mental Health
On 8 March, we celebrate International Women's Day, a day where we increase awareness of the social issues and a celebration of achievements. As we continue to live in a patriarchal society, there are many mental health issues that women face that are aggravated by their gender.
Unhealthy Body Image
While both genders are susceptible to body image issues, women are more susceptible to having poor mental health because of it. The prominence of unhealthy body stereotypes in media and advertisements are a big cause for its effect on women. A healthy body image would mean having an acceptance of your body and understanding that there is no 'right' way to look as a woman. A continual unhealthy body image could possibly lead to low self esteem issues and eating disorders.
Other causes of an unhealthy body image can result from pregnancy where a woman would experience large changes in their body. Even after giving birth, stretch marks and other changes may become permanent and result in developing a mindset of an unhealthy body image.
Postpartum Depression
While pregnancy is celebrated as the life giving process that it is, postpartum (post-pregnancy) depression is another form of mental health issue that is often overlooked. While anxiety and other stresses are common due to having a new mouth to feed, long and sustained low moods are a cause for concern that the 'baby blues' are more likely to be a form of postpartum depression. Symptoms include the unwillingness and inability to bond with your baby as well as self harm thoughts. Left untreated, postpartum depression can develop into postpartum psychosis, a more severe form that is harder to treat.
Getting Help
While recovery is not dependent on gender but based on the individual context on their access to mental health resources, these gender specific mental health issues can be addressed easily with an expert. While the strength of family and friends are indeed integral to recovery, having the advice and supervision of a mental health expert increases the success rate. Counselors are able to tap into your context and provide specific instructions and steps for one to take in overcoming one's issues. On International Women's Day, lets normalize the conversation on mental health and seeking treatment. It is extremely normal nowadays to have a doctor for your physical health, so why not a therapist for your mental health?
If you are interested in beginning your mental health journey with Infinit Care, do consider signing up here and get access to resources and a counselor to help you with your issues.
