Original scientific paper
Gender Differences in Depression
M. Šagud
Lj. Hotujac
A. Mihaljević-Peleš
M. Jakovljević
Abstract
Depression is twice as common in women as in men, although some concern has been
raised in terms of misdiagnosing depression in men. The incidence of depression in women
varies during the life span. The peak incidence during childbearing years appears
to be associated with cyclic hormonal changes. Women also present with reproductive
-specific mood disorders: pre-menstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), depression in pregnancy,
postpartal mood disorder (PDD) and perimenopausal depressive disorder. Gender
differences were repeatedly observed in response to antidepressant medication.
Premenopausal women appear to respond poorly and to show low tolerability to TCAs,
but they tend to show greater responsiveness to the SSRIs. In contrast, men and postmenopausal
women can respond equally to the TCAs and SSRIs. These differences are
contributed to gender differences in pharmacokinetics of antidepressants and to the
influence of menstrual cycle. These findings suggest the need for a gender-specific
approach to the evaluation and management of depression.
Keywords
Hrčak ID:
28255
URI
Publication date:
17.6.2002.
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