Sažetak sa skupa

https://doi.org/10.24869/spsih.2026.182

Women’s Mental Health: Contemporary Concepts

Dunja Degmečić ; Klinika za psihijatriju, Klinički bolnički centar Osijek, J. Huttlera 4, 31000 Osijek, Hrvatska; Medicinski fakultet, Sveučilište Josipa Jurja Strossmayera u Osijeku, Osijek, Hrvatska *

* Dopisni autor.

Sažetak

Contemporary approaches to women’s mental
health, in addition to traditional psychiatric perspectives,
also include a broader concept of women’s
health as a whole. The modern approach to
mental health is based on the biopsychosocial
model, which encompasses the mutual influence
of biological, psychological, and social factors,
and recognizes and emphasizes the importance
of women’s specific needs across different life
periods. It is recognized that the symptoms of
mental disorders in women often differ from
those in men, that hormonal fluctuations at
different stages of a woman’s life (menstrual
cycle, pregnancy, the postpartum period, perimenopause,
and menopause) can contribute to
the development of mental disorders, and that
these biological specificities should be taken
into account when prescribing psychopharmacological
treatment. Perinatal mental health is an
important topic receiving increasing attention, with numerous new studies addressing this area.
Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) as a
distinct diagnostic category is a frequently discussed
topic in recent literature, as is the impact
of menopause on women’s mental health, a specific
area that has long been neglected in clinical
research. In addition, the concept of mental load
is increasingly present in the literature; it refers
to the invisible cognitive and emotional work of
organizing the household, caring for children,
and performing emotional labor in relationships,
which disproportionately falls on women and is
associated with chronic stress and burnout. Furthermore,
trauma-informed care has become the
standard in working with women, given the high
prevalence of sexual violence, intimate partner violence,
and childhood abuse, as well as an understanding
of how trauma shapes later symptoms
such as PTSD, dissociation, or eating disorders.
Another important construct and framework is
intersectionality, which recognizes that a woman’s
experience of mental health also depends
on other factors (race, class, sexual orientation,
disability); for example, women from marginalized
social groups face different difficulties in
accessing healthcare. In conclusion, the aim of
this review is to present recent, more modern approaches
to women’s mental health, including the
clinical context and new therapeutic strategies, in
light of the time and conditions in which we live.

Ključne riječi

women’s mental health; hormonal influence; therapeutic approaches; trauma-informed care; mental load

Hrčak ID:

352318

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/352318

Datum izdavanja:

15.6.2026.

Podaci na drugim jezicima: hrvatski

Posjeta: 0 *