As March is Women’s History Month, we should all be thinking a bit more about the way women experience the world and the different challenges they face. Some of these challenges are outwardly apparent, but some of these challenges are experienced internally. Mental health in general is an important issue, but there are stereotypes involving women’s mental health specifically. There are certain disorders and conditions that are known to be more common in women than men, like depression and anxiety. However, there are also women who develop other disorders that are thought of as less common in women such as ADHD, ASD (autism spectrum disorder), bipolar disorder, OCD, and schizophrenia. It doesn’t help that the statistics listed under these disorders from the National Institute of Mental Health are typically single sets of studies from 2001-2004. There have been many different research studies done since then, like, hello, that was 20 years ago.

Also, when looking at the opening page for the Women’s Mental Health department website, the opening paragraph has odd phrasing. In addition to the odd phrasing, the list of most asked questions does not frame women’s mental health in the best light. The paragraph is very vague and basically just mentions depression and anxiety, and two of the three top questions are about women’s bodies in some way. While many women do experience body image issues, and unfortunately develop unhappy relationships with food, it is dangerous to have this be the only thing women who are researching mental health issues see first. If we look at some of the history of mental health in women, we can see how it got to this point, though.

Women aren’t a Monolith

Women have always lived with certain societal rules dictating how they should act, what they can do, and who they can be. If the stress of these ideals became too much for them to handle, they might have developed depression or anxiety. If they acted out due to these developments, though, it would have been labeled “hysteria.” The idea of the hysterical woman has been around for many centuries. It was a “catch-all” diagnosis for a woman’s psychological and physical health issues, so it not only hurt their mental health journeys, but it also hindered their ability to get treated for physical ailments. Women were put into this little box where they were expected to behave the same and if that was not the case, they were othered. Women’s minds and bodies are not fragile in the way men understood them, but even if some women are fragile, what would be wrong with that? Let women live their lives in all the different ways they desire. 

It wasn’t until the late 20th century that women’s mental health issues were recognized and validated. Only in 1980 did the diagnosis of hysteria go away and more health conditions were recognized like dissociative and somatic symptom disorders. As this shift only happened 40 years ago, there is still a lot to be done regarding women’s mental health. We should be able to both recognize the progress that has been made and call out what work still needs to be done. Until the 1990s, many clinical and drug trials were only conducted on cisgender males whose bodies are different than women, so the conclusions from that research were not necessarily accurate when it came to how women reacted to the stimuli. While it is now possible for women to be included in studies, there was still a lingering stigma that kept them from being included. 

False Diagnosing and the Lost Girls

Just because it is now possible for women to receive a diagnosis and treatment for things like anxiety and depression does not mean that the work is done. As there is still a lack of proper research being done for women’s mental health, it is harder to give out a proper diagnosis, and even if a diagnosis is given, there are often struggles with finding a proper form of treatment. It is still hard for some people to imagine that women experience the world differently which would also result in different mental health struggles. Men have always been able to be independent and diverse thinkers, but until literally 40 years ago, so many of the problems women faced could have been reduced to a simple diagnosis of hysteria. It is important to realize that women can have ADHD, ADD, OCD, PTSD, BPD, ASD, bipolar, anxiety, or depression, and that it does not make them weak, but if it goes undetected, it can cause issues.

Another set of problems is that of conditions that are often seen in children and harder to detect in adults. There are many girls who have ADHD or Autism and mask their symptoms, or their symptoms are internalized, so it is hard to detect them. Many of the stereotypical symptoms are symptoms that boys experience at a greater rate than girls. A lot of the forgetfulness and day dreaminess seen in girls with ADHD is linked to their personality differences or immaturity rather than their disorder.  This means that the assistance they need is not given to them and that they are expected to act and react in a neurotypical way rather than in the way that their neurodivergent brain will. The term “Lost Girls” has been used to refer to the girls with Autism whose symptoms were not “disruptive” enough to garner a diagnosis. 

These challenges in catching disorders early in life often lead to girls not getting help until early adulthood. I know many people who were not diagnosed with ADHD or Autism until they were seniors in high school or sophomores in college. Personally, I am currently seeking a diagnosis for ADHD and have started seeing a clinical psychologist. No one thought the symptoms I outwardly presented in my childhood were overly disruptive, so they just thought I was a talkative and whip-smart child. Now, I am a young adult who can’t finish conversations in a timely or linear manner and whose life is much harder than it should be.

Hopefully, progress continues to be made and there are less girls who slip through the cracks. One thing that should improve is the national resources. More research needs to be listed there as well as more extensive lists of symptoms and where to find help. It was frustrating looking at the ADHD statistics page on NIMH show data from when I was just being conceived through only my 10th year of life. I am a 20-year-old woman and most of this research was done on children, so those children might now have their own children who could be old enough for a study like that. The NIMH is a trusted institution, and it is one of the first options to pop up when googling mental disorders, so it would be nice to see improvement in the statistics and research provided.

What To Do If You Are Struggling

If you are struggling and you think that you might have some type of mental disorder, or you just want to start seeing a counselor, here are a few resources. Remember that these struggles do not make you less of a person, weaker, or unworthy of praise and love. Getting the help that you need is more important than continuing to assure your loved ones that you are fine. 

Mental Health Resources for women specifically: If you feel you might have ADHD, this Healthline article is a good first step in your research. For Autism, this Verywell article might help. For Bipolar Disorder, check out this Medical News Today article. This Mental Health Center article and this Additude article are both useful for OCD information. For information on BPD, this page from the Office on Women’s Health is a good starting point. 

General Mental Health Resources: PTSD, Depression, Anxiety, Alcoholism, and Domestic Abuse.

Hotlines: Suicide – (800) 273-8255; Sexual Assault – (800) 656-4673; Domestic Violence – (800) 799-7233; Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration – (800) 662-4357; For the Crisis Text Line – Text HOME to 741741

Siobahn Stanley

I'm a sophomore, acquiring a Biology and Political Science dual degree with a minor in French. I'm very involved on campus, and my favorite drink is hot chocolate.

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