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Originally Posted by boo boo
Despite that I still don't think women are inherently more likely to have serious emotional problems than men. Harmonal balance is just one aspect of it.
I have to agree with Ribbons that the human condition is equally miserable for everyone. But still the likelyhood of a guy deciding that a great way to start the day is to shoot up a mall full of people with an uzi is greater than if a women were to do the same thing. Women may have an issue with balance but they seem to be better at coping with stressful and painful life conditions than men.
Women wisely don't try to bottle up their emotions, men do and that's what makes them go apesh*t.
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Then why are depression and other mental disorders significantly more common in women?
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Population studies have consistently shown major depression to be about twice as common in women as in men, although it is unclear why this is so, and whether factors unaccounted for are contributing to this.
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That's from
Gender differences in unipolar depression: An update of epidemiological findings and possible explanations. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica. 2003;108(3):163–74. doi:10.1034/j.1600-0447.2003.00204.x. PMID 12890270.
I'm not saying that women suffer more than men, I think that both genders suffer equally and in different ways, it's just interesting that depressive and emotional disorders are statistically more common in women and that perhaps hormonal imbalance has some kind of bearing on it and the fact that women do have to deal with regular hormonal craziness.
EDIT: Yes, you are completely correct in that it is probably true that the likelyhood of a guy deciding that a great way to start the day is to shoot up a mall full of people with an uzi is greater than if a women were to do the same thing. Because testosterone levels can promote aggression in males. But that kind of aggressive and violent impulsivity is not the only form of emotional instability. Aggression is not the only emotion... there is sadness, depression, anxiety, self-esteem issues, etc... both genders experience these differently.
It's also interesting that you say despite having these hormonal instabilities women are better at coping with them in life... because successful suicide attempts are more common in men than women. Women attempt suicide more, but often it is a cry for help rather than a choice to end their life. While emotional disorders are more common in women, they choose to be strong and deal with it rather than end their life. Someone suggested it's because women have great responsibilities in their lives such as their children and family who they don't want to abandon. It's pretty interesting looking at the statistics though.