14 DAY TRIAL // We live today in a world that functions in extreme stress conditions, to the point that stress becomes the engine that keeps the wheels spinning, it has been often said. For middle-aged women, a new survey shows, it’s precisely this stress that leads to depression and anxiety, which are now being described as “common mental disorders.”
The latest findings, published by the UK NHS, show that a worryingly 24 percent of women aged 45 to 54 suffer from such disorders, which are, in most cases, caused by their inability to cope with daily stress, as well as by their setting too high standards to attain.
Being married or involved in a serious relationship also plays an important part, the survey indicates, since it helps eliminate the feeling of loneliness and abandonment, thus the very causes of depression.
Concern for the health of aging parents and the feeling of emptiness that settles in once children leave home for college are also to be found among the causes of these common mental disorders.
“These women are finding it increasingly difficult to balance home and work – and many are being put under stress because they have to care for parents with dementia. There is an emptiness with this generation, and mothers get lonely when their kids go off to university.” Dr. Andrew McCulloch, chief executive of the Mental Health Foundation charity, explains for the British media.
Other things that make middle-aged females feel “redundant” in society, thus pushing them towards depression, are the 20-something type of woman that is currently being promoted (which “can make even the most sophisticated woman feel depressed”) and the fact that the standards they set for themselves are too high to reach. It’s not that these women are less able than younger ones, Dr. McCulloch points out, but that they have higher expectations than them, which, when not reached, makes them feel useless.
The conclusion of the survey can only be one: more attention and funds should be invested in treating depression. “GPs don’t seem to understand that among women, it is the middle-aged that are most at risk of suicide. It’s not a hopeless situation, but it does seem to be a crisis.” Dr. McCulloch adds. Moreover, it’s not just depression that brings middle-aged women down since, as the survey also indicates, they are also plagued by panic attacks, anxiety, phobias and compulsive disorders.