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Introduction Draft Assignment
Depression is one of the most common diagnoses in the mental health field of medicine
[ CITATION Kel22 \l 1033 ]. The American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical
Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition, states depression is one of the “most commonly
diagnosed conditions in psychiatry.” [ CITATION Kel22 \l 1033 ]. According to the World
Health Organization, depression is expected to be one of the leading causes of the global burden
of disease in 2030, with nearly 800,000 individuals dying from depression every year
[ CITATION Yua20 \l 1033 ]. During the onset of depression, individuals show low mood, loss
of interest, and lack of energy and that depression is also accompanied by anxiety, sleep
disturbance, loss of appetite, self-guilt, and inattention [ CITATION Yua20 \l 1033 ]. Not only
psychological, but also social and physiological factors affect depression in different aspects,
individuals with tremendous stress and dysfunction in life are likely to suffer from depression but
having diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer are also important causes of
depression [ CITATION Yua20 \l 1033 ]. The DSM-5 criteria for diagnosing depression is that
individuals must show at least five of the following nine criteria within a two-week period:
Depressed mood or irritability most of the day nearly every day, having decreased interest or
pleasure in most activities, having significant weight change, having changes in sleep, having
changes in physical activity, fatigue or loss of energy, having feelings of guilt or worthlessness,
or excessive guilt, diminished concentration, and feelings or thoughts of suicide [ CITATION
Kel22 \l 1033 ]. Individuals that have an increased stress sensitivity have also emerged as an
important intermediate diagnosis symptom of depressive disorder [ CITATION 101 \l 1033 ]. It is
more common for women to be diagnosed with depression than men, this is mainly due to
women's physiological regulation, especially in puberty, menstruation, pregnancy, and
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menopause (Yan, et al., 2021). Depression is difficult for any woman to walk through with
recovery being long and requiring lots of patience by both the counselee and counselor
[ CITATION Kel22 \l 1033 ]. Depression in women can be long-lasting given how depression is
at certain times of a woman’s life [ CITATION Kel22 \l 1033 ]. The ultimate goal when
counseling a woman with depression in Christian counseling is to help the counselee know God
and glorify him, not an unrealistic expectation of their depression ending so the individual can
have the fullness of life and flourish in spite of suffering, and that the individual trust God in the
midst of it [ CITATION Kel22 \l 1033 ]. This research paper will define what depression looks
like in women at different stages of life, how the Bible views depression along with Scriptures
and Biblical figures on dealing with the mental condition, and how to counsel women in the
treatment of their depression.
Depression and Symptoms in Women
The goal when it comes to understanding women’s depression is to start with all the
complex difficulties in their lives [ CITATION Kel22 \l 1033 ]. Depressive disorders in women
are known to start to show up during the transitions in their reproductive aging cycle, which is
attributed to internal endocrine that affect women’s emotion-associated brain circuits and can
show depression symptoms during female puberty known as premenstrual dysphoric disorder
(PMDD), postpartum depression disorder (PPD) in a woman after pregnancy and
perimenopausal depression disorder [ CITATION Sti19 \l 1033 ]. Also, depression in women can
also be a hereditary disorder that passes on to women for multiple generations. Early-onset
depression has been associated with greater intergenerational transmission of depression and can
be closely linked with neural reward processing deficits (Allison, et al., 2023). Maternal history
of major depressive disorder shows that depression is strongly associated with increased risk in
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offspring of depressed parents at three times greater risk for developing depression than children
of non-depressed parents (Allison, et al., 2023). Depression shows to be heritable in women and
daughters of depressed mothers with being at a more heightened risk of depression during
adolescence (Allison, et al., 2023).
Teens & Young Adult Women
Teens & Young Adult women’s depression can emerge at puberty, with 14–33% of girls
becoming depressed [ CITATION Sti19 \l 1033 ]. The prevalence of depression and the gender
gap emerges with the transition to puberty, and during this phase, hormonal and neural
reorganization, new life events, and challenging social interactions contribute to the development
of depression in teenagers and young adult women [ CITATION Sti19 \l 1033 ]. The
development of mood-related brain areas takes place during this transition and continues
throughout adolescence [ CITATION Sti19 \l 1033 ]. For girls, gray matter development is
correlated with significant gender differences in depression disorder, which occurs at 13–14
years [ CITATION Sti19 \l 1033 ]. The age itself is of minor importance, but pubertal status and
the menarche onset are more predictive of developing depression, and girls are more prone to
psychological distress and maladaptive coping strategies [ CITATION Sti19 \l 1033 ]. This
perturbed neural functioning is therefore made evident by psychosocial stressors pertaining to the
reward experience, decision-making in a social environment, and emotional processing therefore
showing depression signs in teenagers and young adult women [ CITATION Sti19 \l 1033 ].
Pregnant Women/Postpartum Women
Depression is common in pregnant and postpartum women and can be associated with
adverse outcomes for the mother, the developing child while pregnant, the mother-infant
relationship after pregnancy, and the intimate partner relationship during both pregnancy and
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postpartum stages (Levis, et al., 2020). There are legitimate physiological factors at play, there
are a myriad of other factors that might be present to cause depression in pregnant and
postpartum women [ CITATION Kel22 \l 1033 ]. Depression throughout the pregnancy period is
critical when it comes to risk in offspring mental health outcomes, and disrupted mother–infant
interaction. This pregnancy depression, which is less studied than postpartum depression, is
depression during pregnancy that affects up to 20% of women which can also interfere with the
quality of the mother–infant interaction [ CITATION Bin21 \l 1033 ]. Studies have shown that
the association between pregnancy depression and a less optimal mother–infant interaction may
be attributable to an impaired fetal attachment from pregnancy into the postnatal period, and
those depressive symptoms are associated with poorer bonding and increased maternal
unresponsiveness postnatally [ CITATION Bin21 \l 1033 ]. One study has examined pregnancy
depression and found that mothers with depression were more likely to display negative affect
when interacting with infants, even in the perinatal period[ CITATION Bin21 \l 1033 ]. Postnatal
depression or known as postpartum depression manifests as unresponsiveness to or withdrawal
from the infant, or as intrusive and controlling behavior, with also reduced sensitivity to the
infant [ CITATION Bin21 \l 1033 ]. Postpartum depression is clearly linked to hormonal changes
in pregnant and postpartum women and in cases of PPD, or similar conditions like PCOS which
is also a form of hormonal imbalances or hypo-/hyperthyroidism, it is necessary to involve a
physician early on if the depression caused my hormonal imbalances to become severe
[ CITATION Kel22 \l 1033 ]. Another area that can lead to depression in pregnant and
postpartum women is experiences of miscarriage, especially with repeated episodes which can
alter a woman’s mental health state and general well-being (Elsharkawy, et al., 2021). This
depression may manifest as increased rates of anxiety, distress, and depression persisting up to
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even one year later, and the adverse effects of a miscarriage on mental health can continue
through subsequent pregnancies (Elsharkawy, et al., 2021). 48–51% of women who had
miscarriages experienced psychological complications showing up as increased rates of
depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, misuse of
drugs, anger, sadness, acute stress disorder, sorrow, sleep disorders, feelings of guilt, self-blame,
low self-esteem, and marital conflict in women who have a miscarriage (Elsharkawy, et al.,
2021).
Middle Age/Older Women
Depression can effect approximately 2% of women during the perimenopausal stage of
life [ CITATION Sti19 \l 1033 ]. Perimenopausal depression is characterized by all the normal
depression symptoms as well as menopause-specific somatic complaints [ CITATION Yua20 \l
1033 ]. The high prevalence of depressive symptoms in both the peri or postmenopausal and the
perimenopause is a window for the development of depressive symptoms and major depressive
episodes, even with women that have no history of major depressive disorder [ CITATION
Yua20 \l 1033 ]. This perimenopausal depression is chronic and can become recurrent with an
increasing risk of suicide and self-mutilation in women, and not only does harm to the
individual's health and affects their daily life but can be a tremendous burden to their families
and society [ CITATION Yua20 \l 1033 ]. The depressive symptoms during perimenopause
include prior MDD, sociodemographic factors, psychosocial factors, reproductive-related mood
disorder, and a decrease in ovarian estrogen production [ CITATION Yua20 \l 1033 ]. Medically
unexplained fatigue is a also burdensome, widespread symptom, caused by heightened stress
levels are frequent complaints when it comes to women that have depressive disorders as well
as somatic symptom disorder [ CITATION Doe21 \l 1033 ].
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Outline-
Introduction
Depression and Symptoms in Women
Teens & Young Adults
Pregnant Women/Postpartum
Middle Age/Older Women
Biblical Worldviews on Depression
What Bible views
Biblical figures
Scriptures
Counseling Techniques for Women with Depression
Seek Counselors
Spiritual techniques- Prayers, journaling, church, Bible reading
When to seek a doctor’s help for medication
Conclusion
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References
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