What is depression?

Depression is a serious mental health condition that affects how you think, feel and behave. While everyone feels sad or down from time to time, depression lasts longer and may affect many parts of your life.

Depression is more common in women than in men. Women are often the people caring for others, sometimes at the cost of their own health and wellbeing. While women are more likely to experience depression, they are also more likely to reach out for help and support. This is an important first step in overcoming depression.

This information is about depression in women; however, many aspects and risk factors of depression are not gender or sex specific. Read more on depression in the general community.

How common is depression in women?

Depression and related mental health conditions, such as anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), are more common in women.

About 1 in 6 women in Australia will experience depression during their lifetime. Depression during and after pregnancy is also very common. Up to 1 in 10 women experience depression while pregnant, and 1 in 6 women experience depression during the first year after birth.

What causes depression in women?

Big life changes like pregnancy, parenthood and menopause can cause both physical and emotional stresses in women. Negative life experiences can also affect women’s mental health and their well-being. Common experiences include trouble getting pregnant, losing a baby, dealing with violence or feeling isolated. There are many different factors that can contribute to depression including:

• family history (genetic factors)
• changes in the brain
• physical health problems
• personality
• long-term stresses (such as relationship stress, work stress)
• stressful or traumatic events

Some experiences that add to women’s higher risk of depression are:

• Caring roles — More than 2 in 3 women are primary carers for children, parents and partners. Balancing caring roles with other responsibilities can impact a woman’s physical and mental health.
• Violence or abuse — Many Australian women have experienced violence or abuse by an intimate partner. This often negatively affects a woman’s health and wellbeing.
• Infertility and miscarriage — Many Australian couples face infertility and experience perinatal loss. This can be very painful, especially since these losses are often mourned privately. Women with a strong desire to have children can find these events especially stressful.
• Pregnancy and birth — Up to 1 in 10 women experience depression during pregnancy, and 1 in 6 women develop depression during the first year after giving birth.
• Menopause — Hormonal changes and many life transitions that take place around menopause increase a woman’s chance of developing mental health issues, including depression.

What are the signs of depression in women?

It’s important to remember that everyone goes through times of feeling sad, down or low. However, if this continues for more than two weeks, you may be depressed. Signs and symptoms vary greatly between people. Some have only a few symptoms, while others may have many.

Women and men also tend to experience depression slightly differently. Often, when women are depressed, they are likely to feel more:

• stressed
• indecisive
• uneasy

Other signs may include:

• lack of enjoyment from activities they usually find fun
• sense of hopelessness and feelings of failure
• panic attacks
• loss of appetite, and weight loss
• loss of self-esteem and confidence
• thoughts of self-harm or suicide

If someone is having suicidal thoughts or making plan for suicide, it can be hard for other people (even partners, close friends or family members) to notice. If you or someone you care about is thinking about suicide, here are some things you may notice:

• social withdrawal
• reckless behaviour
• giving away possessions

Someone with thoughts of suicide may also talk about:

• a sense of hopelessness
• feeling worthless
• being a burden to others

Suicide and crisis support: If you or someone close to you is in crisis, or at immediate risk of harm, call triple zero (000). To talk to someone now call Suicide Call Back Service 1300 659 467 or Lifeline 13 11 14.

If you need to talk to someone about your mental health, call Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636.

CHECK YOUR SYMPTOMS — Use the Symptom Checker and find out if you need to seek medical help.

What types of depression are unique to women?

Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD)

Moodiness and irritability before menstruation are common. This is sometimes called premenstrual syndrome (PMS). About 8 out of 100 women have a very severe kind of premenstrual disorder called premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD).

If you have PMDD, it can be disabling. Along with other symptoms of depression, you may have bloating, breast tenderness and joint or muscle pain.

Perinatal depression

Perinatal depression is common during both pregnancy (prenatal depression) and after childbirth (postnatal depression). Many women with these conditions may not realise they have depression.

Pregnancy and the weeks following childbirth involve huge changes and adjustments. After childbirth, you may go through the ‘baby blues’, which can make you feel exhausted, anxious or unhappy.

Postnatal depression is much more serious than ‘baby blues’. Along with the usual symptoms of depression, if you have postnatal depression you may question your ability to care for your baby and find it difficult to feel attached to your baby. You may sometimes have thoughts of harming yourself or your baby.

If you think you have perinatal depression, talk to your healthcare provider. If you think your partner or someone you care about is experiencing perinatal depression, it’s important that you encourage them to see their healthcare provider.

Perimenopausal depression

Because of changing hormone levels, menopause can be a challenging time. This includes abnormal periods, problems sleeping, mood swings and hot flushes. The risk of depression for women increases at this time.

Some of the symptoms are the same as the symptoms of ‘typical depression’. However, they also include more problems with memory and concentration, paranoid thinking and irritability.

When should I seek help?

It’s a good idea to reach out to friends and family for support if you feel that you’re struggling, but depression is best treated by professionals.

You should seek help and speak with your doctor if you:

• have been feeling sad or depressed most of the time
• have symptoms of depression for 2 weeks or more
• are worried that you may be depressed

Your doctor will ask how you have been feeling and if you've had any physical symptoms.

They may also ask about your medical and family history. They will rule out possible medical conditions (for example thyroid problems) that can mimic symptoms of depression.

Your doctor can help you make a mental health treatment plan. This will let you claim a Medicare rebate for up to 20 sessions a year with a mental health professional such as a social worker, occupational therapist or psychologist. Fees may be higher than the Medicare rebate so it’s a good idea to ask about fees and out-of-pocket costs when you book your appointment.

FIND A HEALTH SERVICE — The Service Finder can help you find doctors, pharmacies, hospitals and other health services.

How can I help a woman with depression?

Tips to help a woman you care about with depression include:

• Support them by learning about the life stages they may be struggling with (for example, pregnancy, birth or menopause)
• Spend time listening — you don’t always need to offer advice or solutions.
• Help by taking on some of their day-to-day responsibilities, such as household chores and childcare.
• Encourage them to speak to a doctor or mental health professional to make a treatment plan — they might not take the first step towards getting help without your support.

How is depression treated?

If you are experiencing depression, your doctor can help you build a mental health treatment plan. Your plan may include different types of treatments depending on your type of depression, your symptoms and how severe they are. Your doctor will also ask you about your preferences — what services or therapies you’d like to try and what you want to avoid.

Psychological treatments

There is a wide range of psychological treatments for depression, such as:

• cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT)
• interpersonal therapy (IPT)
• mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT)

This can be through face-to-face meeting, telephone consultation, online treatment or a combination of these.

Medication

Antidepressant medicines affect chemical processes in the brain that affect your mood. They normally take 4 to 6 weeks to be effective. Remember to check with your doctor or pharmacist before taking any medicine (prescribed or over the counter) while you are pregnant or breastfeeding.

Other treatments

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) uses an electromagnetic coil placed on the scalp to stimulate the nerve cells in your brain that control mood.

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) involves a brief electrical stimulation of the brain while you are under anaesthetic. It is used to treat specific types of depression, including severe depression that has not responded to medicines.

Self-help and alternative therapies

A wide range of self-help techniques and alternative or complementary therapies can be used to treat depression either alone or together with other types of therapies.

Not all types of depression can be treated using these methods alone. It is important that you build a personal mental health treatment plan with your doctor. Self-help and alternative therapies include:

• meditation
• eating healthy and exercising regularly
• avoiding alcohol and drugs
• yoga
• massage therapy

If you are experiencing depression, your doctor may recommend one of these types of therapy by itself or together with other types of treatments.

ASK YOUR DOCTOR — Preparing for an appointment? Use the Question Builder for general tips on what to ask your GP or specialist.

Resources and support

If you or someone close to you is in a crisis, or at immediate risk of harm, call triple zero (000) and ask for an ambulance.

Here are some resources for further help and information.

• These organisations offer telephone counselling support to people at risk and those affected by suicide:
  • Lifeline crisis support on 13 11 14
  • Suicide Call Back Service 24/7 phone and online counselling on 1300 659 467
• Beyond Blue provides resources and support to people struggling with depression as well as their family, friends and work colleagues.
  • Fill in the Beyond Blue’s K10 test to understand your level of distress and receive support options.
  • Read more on what the evidence says about what treatments work for depression.

Pregnancy, Birth and Baby’s video call service allows you to speak face-to-face with a maternal child health nurse. Video call is a free service and is available from 7am to midnight (AET), 7 days a week (including public holidays). Call if you are experiencing depression related to pregnancy or birth.

You can also call the healthdirect helpline on 1800 022 222 (known as NURSE-ON-CALL in Victoria). A registered nurse is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Looking for information for sexually and gender-diverse families?

If you are experiencing depression related to your sexuality or gender identity (LGBTQI+), Qlife provides a counselling and referral service for LGBTQI+ people. You can call them on 1800 184 527 from 3pm to midnight every day.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders

For more information on mental health and wellbeing for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people with the Black Dog Institute.

The Beyond Blue has information on how depression affects Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people.

Other languages

Embrace Mental Health is a project run by Mental Health Australia focused on mental health for people from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds, providing access to resources, services and information in a culturally accessible format.