Health Professionals: Your Role in Women's Health

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Mental Health

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• Helpful Handouts for Patients
• Additional Resources

Although public awareness and acceptance of mental health disorders is increasing, many people are reluctant to talk about symptoms they’re experiencing. For many people there is still a sense of shame that accompanies a diagnosis of a mental health problem. Many of your patients also may not recognize when they have a problem. It is important that women know:

• Approximately 14.8 million Americans suffer from depression. Women are two to three times more likely to be affected.
• According to the World Health Organization, depression is the leading cause of disability worldwide. According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), it is the leading cause of disability in Americans aged 18 to 44.
• Major depression is a big risk factor for suicide. Approximately 32,000 Americans commit suicide every year. About 80 percent of them were suffering from a mental health disorder like depression or substance abuse.
• According to the NIMH, anxiety disorders, such as panic disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, social anxiety disorder, and phobias affect approximately 40 million Americans over 18 in any given year. Like depression, anxiety disorders are more common in women than men.

The following fact sheets may help your patients better understand mental health disorders:

Helpful Handouts for Patients

1. Women's Mental Health - A special section of womenshealth.gov that gives reader-friendly explanations of mental health issues common among women.
2. Frequently Asked Questions: Depression - A womenshealth.gov fact sheet that answers common questions about depression.
3. Frequently Asked Questions: Depression During and After Pregnancy - A womenshealth.gov fact sheet that answers common questions about depression.
4. Frequently Asked Questions: Stress and Your Health - A womenshealth.gov fact sheet that answers common questions about stress and its affects on a woman’s health.

Additional Resources

Publications

1. Women and Mental Health - Women can have very different experiences with mental health than men. This site, provided by the National Institute of Mental Health, lists mental disorders that primarily affect women and also provides organizations that can help women with mental health disorders.
2. Women and Depression: Discovering Hope - Diagnosing depression can be a difficult task when the patient does not understand depression and how it affects overall health. Health professionals can use this publication as a start to guide their female patients through their depression.
3. Medications - Many health care professionals prescribe medication for patients suffering from mental health disorders. Often, these medications are explained to the patient by the physician or psychologist, however the patient might want to learn more information about the medications they have received. This booklet can help patients understand why a doctor prescribed a specific medicine for their mental health disorder. (PDF file, 470 Kb)
4. Integration of Mental Health/Substance Abuse and Primary Care - This evidence-based report describes models of integrated care used in the United States, assesses how integration of mental health services into primary care settings or primary health care into specialty outpatient settings impacts patient outcomes, and describes barriers to sustainable programs, use of health information technology (IT), and reimbursement structures of integrated care programs within the United States. (PDF file, 1.4 Mb)
5. Asking the Right Questions 2: Talking to Clients about Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity in Mental health, Counseling and Addiction Settings (Copyright © Centre of Addiction and Mental Health) - Gender identity and sexual orientation can be difficult to talk about between patients and health care professionals. This manual can help health professionals develop a plan to talk to patients about sexual orientation and mental health issues. (PDF file, 310 Kb)
6. The Role of Mental Health Professionals in Working with Individuals with TS and Their Families (Copyright © Tourette Syndrome Association, Inc) -Tourette Syndrome (TS) is a neurological disorder that can cause mental health issues among people diagnosed with TS. This publication can help mental health professionals treat people diagnosed with TS.
7. Disaster - Related Physical and Mental Health: A Role for the Family Physician - (Copyright © AAFP) - Many people are diagnosed with physical and mental health disorders as a result of natural and man-made disasters. This article discusses the outcomes of disasters on mental and physical health and ways physicians can be ready to handle these outcomes. (PDF file, 270 Kb)
8. Bridging Responses: A Front-line Worker’s Guide to Supporting Women Who Have Post-Traumatic Stress (Copyright © Centre of Addiction and Mental Health) - This guide was designed for health professionals who come in contact with women who have post-traumatic stress as a result of abuse or violence. (PDF file, 3.2 Mb)

Organizations

1. Center for Mental Health Services, SAMHSA
2. National Institute of Mental Health, NIH, HHS
3. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
4. Screening for Mental Health, Inc.
5. Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance

= Federal government resource

Content last updated December 1, 2008.