Female preference for male in mental illness

  There is also a “preference for women over men” in mental illness. The prevalence of depression is 1:2 for men and 1:1.2 for bipolar disorder. The prevalence of neurasthenia is significantly higher in women than in men (Hunan, 1989). The prevalence of dysthymia is about 1:8 for men and women. Affective psychosis is more common in women. Eating disorders are more common in women, with a male to female ratio of 1:9 to 1:10. The prevalence of PTSD is 11% in women and 6% in men. The prevalence of somatization disorder is 2% in women and less than 0.2% in men.  Menstrual-related syndromes alone include premenstrual syndrome and menopausal syndrome.  Birth-related and psychiatric disorders include postpartum dysphoria, postpartum depression, postpartum (puerperal) psychosis, and others.  In addition, there are also somatic symptoms that are difficult to be explained by current medicine, such as chronic pain disorder, hypochondriasis, and somatic ugly disorder. Of course, there is also the problem of postpartum wind or postpartum body pain, which is widely ignored by various disciplines of Western medicine.  In terms of time axis, there are four periods when women are prone to mental illness: menstruation, puerperium, menopause, and old age, all of which are regular periods that men do not have.  The physiological composition and endocrine specificity of women, as well as the special role women play in social life and historical process seem to predestine women to be more “disaster-prone” compared to men. “What we need to call for is to invest more energy, time and financial resources in women’s health research and treatment, and to give more care and support.