He is impatient. He has little appetite and is easily irritated. He argues with anyone who comes near him. He doesn’t sleep well and is always tired, and his work productivity is also disastrous. His friends tell him to relax and be alone, maybe it will help. Unaware that he is not just tired and in need of rest, but “sick”.

The patient could be either a woman or a man. Both genders have always been susceptible to such behaviors. But perhaps before delving into the discussion of gender in relation to this particular “patient”, we should understand what this illness is.

Self-doubt, self-destructive thoughts, lack of motivation for usually enjoyable activities, fatigue, changes in appetite, disturbed sleep, numbness, sexual problems including decreased desire, sadness, anxiety, feelings of emptiness and worthlessness, guilt, hopelessness, negativity, and many other symptoms that a person with this condition experiences. Its name is very well-known; “depression”. A word that is sometimes used in our colloquial literature, regardless of the fact that it refers not only to a reaction to internal and external issues, but also to a disease.

In normal situations, humans can feel sad and upset. In some cases, it is a natural human reaction to sadness and distress. However, these feelings are temporary and come and go. But when these feelings become chronic and affect the person and those around them, it is a cause for concern for a common and serious illness. A disease called depression.

Due to the similarity of this disease with the intermittent sorrows and griefs of human life, many easily pass by it and are not seeking treatment or a solution. Treatments can range from medication to counseling and talking with psychologists. And if the person themselves is not seeking treatment, which is usually not the case considering their mental state, their loved ones must have this minimum awareness and understanding of the disease in order to seek a solution and make efforts to bring the person to treatment and refer them to the appropriate doctor to resolve the issue.

But why does this disease occur? In fact, if we want to come up with a more accurate formulation for this question, we should ask why depression occurs?

Many factors are involved in this issue. From genetics (for individuals with a family history of this disease), to environmental factors and pressures; from psychological and social factors that occur in the course of life to biological issues such as adolescence, menopause, and specific women’s issues such as menstruation, postpartum depression, and so on. Generally, from biological, social, and genetic factors to specific life events such as the death of loved ones and divorce, and even thyroid disorders and resulting medical issues.

But let’s move on from the medical field and clarify the issue a bit more: As mentioned above, a part of the factors of depression is specific to women. Issues such as hormonal changes, reproductive and menstrual cycles, and postpartum depression.

A question may arise in one’s mind: among the two genders, do women become more depressed or men? And is this question even worth asking? In summary, in a world where we are moving towards gender equality, if we consider depression in addition to biological issues and unpredictable life events, social issues and pressures on humans, do women become more depressed or men? Or should we seriously reconsider the question if we want to address the issue?

From now on, we may enter a discussion that is somewhat gendered. This means that in the minds of researchers in this field, there may be a burden of historical meaning associated with femininity and masculinity.

In our society’s traditional behavioral categorization, crying is considered a feminine behavior. “Real men don’t cry!” is a phrase that most of our men have heard from their parents in childhood. When faced with a girl’s crying, parents usually see hugging their child as the right action, no matter what tradition they follow. But when it comes to boys, crying is often met with disapproval even from a young age, accompanied by the same well-known phrase: “Real men don’t cry!”

Keep the above paragraph in the back of your mind while reading the rest of this text. The issue is that the occurrence of symptoms of sadness and grief, as defined earlier, on a daily basis, causes distress to the individual and those around them, and is indicative of symptoms. In fact, a sad person, who from now on will be referred to as depressed, must show some movement and reaction that observers can understand and interpret as a reflection of their inner state. This is where the above paragraph, stemming from the traditional upbringing of Iranian families, comes into play and is a result of the “man of the sun”. Showing sadness to others is more acceptable by society from women than men. Therefore, the natural defensive reaction of men to put up a false wall of a pleasant appearance against the unpleasant inner state results in a contradiction between the inner and outer self. A natural and masculine reaction.

However, according to scientific research, there is no significant difference between men and women in terms of depression. The main difference lies in how these two genders experience, perceive, and behave towards it.

Let’s see what the scientific findings say so that we can come to a logical conclusion and avoid gender-based biases.

It may be shocking statistics and initial information. According to the report of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the United States, the rate of suicide among American men is four times higher than that of American women. This action is exactly the result of the same traditional male reaction, which, according to this report and the traditional preconceptions we have from Iranian society, seems to be common between us and them. Men who suppress and hide their grief, and this accumulated and suppressed grief leads to consequences such as extreme anger, aggression, substance abuse, and suicide. Statistics that can shock us! (4)

On the other hand, especially in societies like Iran where social tradition (which includes national tradition to religious traditional practices) has always been striving to provide a role for women in the family rather than in society. Here, religion refers not to faith, but to religion as the backbone of traditional practices.

Dr. Shapour Karimi, a psychiatrist, believes in an interview with the Iranian Students News Agency (ISNA) that “oppression of women, their failure to reach their true position in society, and living in a male-dominated society can lead to women being more susceptible to depression than men, especially those who are biologically predisposed to the illness.” He also points out that “most women have traces of mild depression, but they consider it normal and do not try to treat it.”

In fact, according to this psychiatrist’s argument, due to the pressures imposed by social norms on women and the prevention of their full and free presence in the public sphere and discriminatory laws against women that exist in the constitution and civil laws of the Islamic Republic, environmental factors necessary for depression are provided. And due to traditional and legal barriers, changing these barriers requires changing the overall structure governing the country. Therefore, for an afflicted woman, the only way out and escape that is demanded by the illness and mental conditions (not a voluntary decision caused by psychological pressure) are actions such as suicide and the like.

On the other hand, in a society that is still caught between the traditions of yesterday and the modern world, men are also afflicted with such problems.

Amanollah Gharai Moghadam, a sociologist, in an interview with Ana News Agency, mentioned that according to available statistics, about 15 to 20 percent of Iranian society is depressed. He also states that men have a higher rate of being affected by depression.

Qara’i Moghadam says that economic problems and the inability to meet basic family needs are the main factors in this depression. These factors lead to frustration and this frustration leads to depression. Qara’i Moghadam mentions that due to the masculine nature of family life in Iran and the economic problems that affect the majority of society, the risk of depression is much higher for men than women due to the aforementioned reasons. Additionally, the issue of sexual dysfunction and the inability to satisfy a sexual partner, which has always been a problem for men and the taboo surrounding sexual education, can be seen as another contributing factor.

Amongst this discussion about the causes of depression in women and men, there is a statement from the Director of Mental Health at the Ministry of Health of the Islamic Republic of Iran, which can be referred to, and statistics about the mental state of Iranian women and men have been obtained. Abbas Ali Nasahi tells Fars in an interview: “According to the latest research by the Ministry of Health, which was conducted after 10 years, 26.5% of women and 20.8% of men suffer from a type of mental disorder within a year, which ranks first in terms of women’s illnesses. According to this official, the population composition mentioned in the statistics is for Iranians between the ages of 15 and 64.”

The statistics speak for themselves. Depression is more common in women than men. But! Are these statistics reliable, especially with such a small difference? What social factors contribute to depression in both women and men?

The statistics of depression in Iran, like other statistics of social problems and issues, are unreliable; meaning they are not accurate. This inaccuracy is due to the dependence of statistical centers on the government and their lack of independence. Because if the statistical institution were independent and published statistics on social problems, the Iranian government would definitely face public and serious challenges. However, there is another reason for this inaccuracy.

However, there are also some non-governmental sources that have a different view from the official statistics of the government. These views even consider the rate of depression among women to be 1.5 to 2 times higher than men. Dr. Azatollah Kardamirza, a psychologist and member of the faculty at Allameh Tabatabai University, in an interview with the Zistboom website, says: “From a universal perspective, the prevalence and occurrence of a disorder, which in our case is depression, varies among women based on culture, race, age, and living environment. According to statistics, which have reached over 20% in society, depression is 1.5 to 2 times more prevalent in women and its distribution also varies in different parts of the country, with more prevalence in cities than in villages and even in some provinces compared to others. Depression has different levels, major or fundamental depression, dysthymia, and minor depression, with

The issue may be a bit complicated. Iranian men, with their traditional Iranian upbringing, do not show their sorrow and sadness, even if it presents itself as depression. In fact, values such as “enduring pain” and “being strong and manly” exist in this tradition. Naturally, with such values in traditional Iranian society, men who are attached to this tradition do not seek medical help for depression and do not believe they are sick. The natural result of this issue is the lack of statistics. On the other hand, Iranian women have also been under the oppression of family, society, laws, and behavior throughout history. In fact, this oppression has become a natural behavior towards Iranian women throughout history, which has only been reduced to some extent in recent years and after the Constitutional Revolution in Iran. And Iranian society, with a small slope, has begun to move towards addressing this oppression, which requires a separate and historical discussion in this area.

Expressing a definite opinion on the issue of depression among women and men with accurate statistics is somewhat difficult due to the detailed information provided. The statistics provided by the government and the margin of error and factors that contribute to this error greatly reduce the accuracy. However, what is clear is that in societies such as Iran, due to the dominance of a masculine culture, there is a greater tendency for violence against women, which can lead to increased rates of depression among Iranian women. Additionally, the issue of biological depression is also a contributing factor for women. These depressions, which should be turned into a tolerable period for women with the help of men, are seen as a weakness or a feminine problem by Iranian society, and this biological event is turned into an excuse for inappropriate behavior towards women. This, in turn, only exacerbates this abnormal psychological situation.

Non-governmental statistics and perhaps the personal experience of Iranian residents themselves can also be indicative of this issue. In general, it is indicative of mental illness such as depression and the fact that both genders are affected by it, and the alarming statistics of non-governmental sources show that depression in women is 1.5 to 2 times higher than in men. These statistics and reports can be a warning for social planners in Iranian society to take action before this wave of mental enemy becomes even more prevalent.

Sources:

1- The difference in depression between women and men, Tabian website, 28 Farvardin 1392.

2- What is depression? Website of the National Institute of Mental Health.

3- Is there a difference between men and women in depression? Health Central website

4- The difference in depression between women and men, Parsi Tab website.