Anxiety: Is it true that women suffer more from it?
Anxiety disorders are , nowadays, very common and debilitating illnesses.
Women of reproductive age are more vulnerable to developing these disorders, approximately 2 or 3 times more than men.
Being male or female can influence not only the prevalence of these mental disorders, but also the manifestation and expression of symptoms, as well as the willingness to seek psychological help, the response to treatment, and the course of the illness.
Let's list a series of examples of these differences.
Differences between men and women in the prevalence of this type of disorder
Most common anxiety disorders: anxiety
Psychological disorder characterized by unexpected and repeated panic attacks.
This disorder is twice as common in women as in men . The age of onset is also different (in men, between 15 and 24 years of age, and in women, between 35 and 44 years of age).
The disorder is more severe in women, as symptoms in women are predominantly respiratory . In men, symptoms are more gastrointestinal and accompanied by intense sweating.
Some factors that may influence these differences are:
Hormonal fluctuations in women, as changes in premenstrual hormones have been shown to contribute to panic episodes.
Most common anxiety disorders: agoraphobia
It is one of the most debilitating consequences of panic disorder for those who suffer from it. When experiencing panic disorder, people tend to isolate themselves at home and avoid going out. It affects 3-4% of men (in the general population), compared to 7-9% of women . Women also tend to experience more severe symptoms and a poorer quality of life.
Most common anxiety disorders: GAD (generalized anxiety disorder)
It consists of excessive and uncontrollable worry about everyday problems. Some symptoms include fatigue, muscle tension, insomnia, irritability, and lack of concentration. The prevalence rate is 4% in men, compared to 7% in women.
Numerous studies confirm a premenstrual worsening of GAD symptoms, although the mechanisms that cause it are unknown.
Most common anxiety disorders: OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder)
It is a common and severe disorder in which the person suffers from obsessive and repetitive thoughts. Their fears lead them to compulsively perform ritualized behaviors to reduce their anxiety.
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) does not show a difference in incidence between the sexes . However, it does present some interesting differences: in men, the onset of the first symptoms is earlier, coinciding with puberty; while in women, it does not usually manifest before the age of 20 and is highly associated with pregnancies.
Symptoms in women present more harmful compulsions regarding cleaning and obsessive checking.
Research on OCD has focused on hormonal changes and has been shown to occur in the premenstrual/menstrual phase and also after pregnancy and menopause. Therefore, the interrelation between menstrual cyclical changes and relapses and fluctuations in symptoms of this disorder.
Most common anxiety disorders: phobias
A phobia or excessive fear of a particular object or situation (spiders, elevators, airplanes, driving, needles, blood...).
They have a prevalence of 5% in men and 11% in women.
Some interesting findings have been observed, such as that women diagnosed with phobias often experience a worsening of their phobic symptoms during the premenstrual phase of their cycle. Similarly, pregnant women exhibit increased levels of social anxiety during the first trimester of pregnancy.
Most common anxiety disorders: PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder)
The prevalence rate is 10% in women , compared to 5% in men.
It appears as a consequence of exposure to a traumatic event, physical or psychological, that causes acute or chronic stress. The person relives the moment through dreams or flashbacks.
What explains this gender difference?
Some authors point to hormonal differences as an explanation for the aforementioned sex differences. However, the reasons why anxiety disorder rates are so high in women are not fully understood, and very little is known about antecedent risk factors. There is speculation about vulnerability factors (biochemical, hormonal, and social), perhaps due to the greater emotional and physical burden experienced by women, but to date, the factors that cause sex differences in anxiety disorders have not been identified or clarified.
Article published by clinical psychologist Elena Iracheta Ruiz.
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