By Nitzan Gabel Eyal, MD, SWHR Science Policy Fellow
Depressive disorders are a common group of mood disorders that affect a person’s ability to perform daily functions, facilitated by persistent or episodic irritable, sad or empty moods. When discussing depressive disorders, Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and Persistent Depressive Disorder (PDD) are most commonly referenced. According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), both MDD and PDD occur more frequently in women, with prevalence rates approximately twice as high as those in men. Additionally, depression often presents differently between sexes, contributing to a greater disease burden in women. Women with depressive disorders tend to experience more severe symptoms and are more likely to report physical symptoms, such as insomnia, hypersomnia, fatigue, and appetite changes.
The gap in depressive disorder prevalence emerges during adolescence and is most pronounced in this life stage and through early adulthood. In 2021, depressive disorders were the sixth leading cause for disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) – a common measure of disease burden – in women internationally, while they did not rank among the top ten causes for men. In the United States, the burden is particularly significant among adolescents and young women aged 15-39, where depression ranks among the three leading causes of DALYs.
While MDD is a well-established diagnosis, the diagnostic criteria for PDD have become more heterogeneous with updates in the latest 2022 version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). This gold standard guidance for mental health diagnoses in the United States consolidated two previously separate depression diagnoses, creating a new category of PDD that centers on the chronic nature of the disorder rather than its severity.
Ahead of Mental Health Awareness Month in May, the Society for Women’s Health Research (SWHR) has released a resource focusing on PDD, highlighting the disorder’s burden on women. This new call to action, “Illuminating the Disease Burden of Chronic Forms of Depression in Women”, provides an overview of sex differences in the disease prevalence and manifestation in women and identifies actions to address current gaps in scientific literature, research, and clinical practice regarding the inconsistent use of PDD’s definition.
The report is informed by data from the SWHR Women’s Health Dashboard,
which serves as a resource and centralized platform for stakeholders in the women’s health space to explore the most up to date national and state data on health conditions and diseases that have significant impacts on women’s health. This call to action is the latest in the series of reports from SWHR leveraging data from the dashboard to generate actionable insights aimed at improving women’s health in the United States.
SWHR remains committed to advancing women’s mental health and wellness. This call to action builds on other resources released by SWHR, including:
- Understanding the Burden of Heart Disease and Depression in Young Women, a fact sheet that spotlights strategies to reduce the burden of both conditions in women.
- Supporting New Moms in the Fight Against Postpartum Depression, a blog post which summarizes key insights from an interview with maternal health experts on recognizing postpartum depression and highlighting available public resources
- Stigma and Endometriosis: A Brief Overview and Recommendations to Improve Psychosocial Well-Being and Diagnostic Delay, a white paper published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health that highlights the effects of endometriosis-associated stigma on women’s mental health and offers avenues to mitigate this harmful phenomenon.
SWHR will be featuring insights from this latest call to action during a special, virtual symposium ahead of the VCU Health of Women 2025 conference: Emerging Topics in Women’s Health: Minding the Depression Gap.
SWHR is also proud to continue tracking and spotlighting women’s health challenges, and exploring the health impact of depressive disorders, alongside other leading organizations in this space, such as the National Institute for Mental Health (NIH/NIMH), National Alliance for Mental Illness (NAMI), and Maternal Mental Health Leadership Alliance (MMHLA). If you have additional questions about Women’s Health Dashboard, please contact science@swhr.org.