‘Gender literacy protects women’s mental health’ – 05/31/2023 – Equilíbrio

A researcher at UnB (University of Brasília) who studies the correlation of structural machismo and violence with depression and anxiety among women, she argues that girls should be taught to identify situations of inequality and sexism. The diagnosis of depression in Brazil among women (14.7%) is twice that registered among men (7.3%), according to data from a survey by the Ministry of Health carried out in the 26 capitals and the Federal District. in 2021.

In the American continent, Brazilian women are leaders in cases of anxiety disorders and occupy the sixth position among diagnoses of depression, according to data from PAHO (Pan American Health Organization) of 2019.

For psychologist and researcher of mental health and gender Valeska Zanello, professor at UnB, multiple social and biological factors must be considered before stating that women are more prone to mental illness.

“I don’t like to use the word ‘propensity’ because it conveys the idea that mental disorders are an internal problem that will express itself, or that there is a greater tendency to express itself in women’s lives.”

Focused on understanding the correlation between gender violence and mental illness among women, Zanello advocates the creation of a care protocol aimed at women diagnosed with depression.

“There are many studies that show that every time a woman is diagnosed with depression, health professionals should have a protocol to investigate whether the patient suffers violence from an intimate partner”, says the researcher from UnB.

In an interview, Zanello also presents solutions to the problem.

“I believe that the solution goes through gender literacy. If you are taught, encouraged to invest in life projects that do not depend on the question of love and motherhood to exist, that do not depend on male evaluation to have value, this strengthens you psychically , strengthens your mental health”, he defends.

Does this mean that women are more prone to depression and anxiety than men? I don’t like to use the word “propensity”, because it conveys the idea that mental disorders are an internal problem that will express itself, or that there is a greater tendency to express itself in women’s lives.

Depression should not be treated as an entity that manifests itself, regardless of culture, social relations, gender inequalities and the entire context in which this woman lives. It only interests the pharmaceutical industry to understand the issue of psychological distress, specifically depression, as an entity in itself. I think it’s better that we think about this issue [dos maiores números de depressão e ansiedade entre as mulheres] considering the multiple levels of suffering that affect our mental health.

Can we say that structural machismo helps to explain the data of cases of anxiety and depression being higher among women? Speaking of the West, which is my object of study, women’s mental suffering tends to be greater in sexist countries, such as Brazil, where gender inequalities mark and persist throughout a woman’s life. We have women who need two, even three jobs to support their families; who are hyper-responsible for taking care of the children and the house, who are single mothers; who are victims of gender violence, etc.

There are many surveys that show that every time a woman is diagnosed with depression, health professionals should have a protocol to investigate whether the patient suffers from intimate partner violence, for example.

In the case of domestic violence, another example, research shows that the symptoms related to the victim’s mental health can last for up to two years after the end of the situation of violence experienced. It is no use for the health professional to medicate and suppress the symptoms, and not to investigate the multiple causes of this mental illness. But, on the other hand, we cannot speak of direct causality, saying that gender inequalities and violence will necessarily result in depression in women.

When it comes to mental health, there are always multiple factors that must be considered, including hormonal ones, and we can only do this when we guarantee a listening place for these women.

Can you give examples of how the various gender violence in our society can contribute to suffering and mental illness in women? In Brazilian society, a person becomes a woman through the loving and maternal device, where the aesthetic ideal is fundamental to our identity. We learn from a very young age that the aesthetics of our body will or will not put us in a “good place on the shelf”. When you get older or when your body doesn’t meet the aesthetic ideal and you see yourself as an old and disposable object for society, it’s very depressing.

For example, I recently did research where I interviewed women going through menopause, a time of major hormonal and societal changes. They all told me: “I feel invisible” or “I stopped being a woman”. In a binary society like ours, where being a person means being a woman or being a man, a social process of erasure generates suffering, which can be associated with depression.

Speaking of hormones, it is common to associate female depression with hormonal factors and their reproductive cycle, such as postpartum depression and menopausal depression. How do you see this issue? Research shows that those who most prescribe psychotropic drugs in Brazil are not psychiatrists, but general practitioners and primary care physicians, such as gynecologists. If a woman enters menopause and complains of being depressed, usually between the ages of 45 and 55, many gynecologists prescribe antidepressants. That is, by medicalizing the symptoms without treating the causes, the entire psychic and social context that this woman must be going through is disregarded.

Menopause is a phase in which a woman’s body and sexual intercourse change a lot. There is vaginal dryness, discomfort during sex, sometimes weight gain, etc. If this woman is married, the relationship can go into crisis if the partner does not understand this delicate moment of the woman. If she is a mother, it is usually at this time that the children have left or are preparing to leave home and this woman has to face the “empty nest” feeling; if she doesn’t have a happy marriage, worse, now she won’t be able to cover up this relationship with the presence of third parties in the house.

That is, we are not just talking about hormones. It is not possible to medicalize our bodies and our lives when we go through changes such as menopause, it is necessary to consider the social place where these changes place us.

In an unequal, sexist and sexist society like the Brazilian one, how can we promote women’s mental health before they get sick? I believe that the solution lies in gender literacy. If you are taught, encouraged to invest in life projects that don’t depend on love and motherhood for their existence, that don’t depend on male evaluation for value, this strengthens you psychically, strengthens your mental health. However, for this to happen, the woman needs to be able to name the processes related to unequal gender relations built historically.

That’s why Professor Lígia Feitosa, from UFSC, and I created a deck of gender literacy for teenagers, where we list everyday things that seem normal, but that are based on machismo and sexism, and that is a form of violence . We address situations like a girl who doesn’t want to go to a party because of a pimple on her face, then we explain the origin of this perspective distortion; We address the situation of boys who create lists where they evaluate girls at school according to their beauty, etc. We explain how these situations can have important consequences in the lives of these girls, whether in gender violence or in their mental health.