Mental Health Concerns for Indian Women

Abstract

This article studies the mental health problems of women, especially in the Indian context. As per World Health Organization (WHO) estimates, depression is expected to be the second largest contributor to disease burden by 2020, and with one in every three women worldwide being afflicted by common mental disorders including depression, the mental health of women is a serious issue indeed. While studying the psychological construct of mental health, we come to understand that it is deeply embedded within an individual’s social and socioeconomic relationships. Since women worldwide, and more so in India, face gender-based discrimination at every stage of their lives, their psychological well-being becomes a cause for great concern. This note attempts to explore the various risk and protective factors affecting the mental health of women. Considering the gravity of the matter, urgent remedial measures such as understanding the underlying causes of psychological distress among women, adopting a gender-sensitive approach, working towards women’s empowerment and formulating women-friendly health policies could work wonders for the mental health of Indian women.