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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 14 of 14. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Lurker on June 3, 2000, at 6:25:20
Has anyone ever looked at this site to see what the ratio of women to men is? The "powers that be" always say that depression is more common in women and I'm curious to know if that's true. Being a guy, I think that maybe we just don't report it to our docs as often as women do. Stubborn and thick-headed I guess. Just a saturday morning cosmic question.
Posted by Snowie on June 3, 2000, at 7:36:45
In reply to Ratios--women to men, posted by Lurker on June 3, 2000, at 6:25:20
Hey, Lurker,
I don't have depression ... just GAD, agoraphobia (if left untreated) and an occasional panic attack. I'm a woman. I suspect that depression is evenly divided between the sexes.
BTW, I had to go off Klonopin. I started getting swelling in my limbs and kept a constant headache and body ache after almost a week. For some reason, Klonopin had a terrible effect on me. The generic brand name was Teva. I don't know if it was a bad batch or what, since I didn't have this problem when I switched to Klonopin several years ago. I'm back on Xanax again. That was a major disappointment! Sorry, Gordon.
Snowie
Posted by SLS on June 3, 2000, at 8:39:42
In reply to Ratios--women to men, posted by Lurker on June 3, 2000, at 6:25:20
> Has anyone ever looked at this site to see what the ratio of women to men is? The "powers that be" always say that depression is more common in women and I'm curious to know if that's true. Being a guy, I think that maybe we just don't report it to our docs as often as women do. Stubborn and thick-headed I guess. Just a saturday morning cosmic question.
I think it has long been speculated that a great deal of this statistical difference has been the result of a bias in reporting, just as you suggest. It is probably true, due to the expectations placed upon men by other men to be strong, and the responsibility to provide for the family. I'm sure this is a simplistic generalization, but I guess it will suffice. It has been O.K. for women to be "weak" and truthful.Perhaps a woman is more likely to have any psychiatric vulnerability she possesses to be penetrated by the activity of her sex hormones. I am guessing that, although the statistics are presently skewed, the rate of the occurrence of depression is greater in women. Postpartum depression-triggered major depression alone must account for some difference. In addition, now that a much higher percentage of women are in the workplace, there is greater parity between the sexes for being exposed to work-related stress. This has probably reduced a potential statistical difference in work-related depressions that had previously favored men. I don't know. Just guessing.
Obviously, women must be the stronger sex because they have to put up with being the weaker sex.
I hope no smily is necessary here.
- Scott
Posted by juniper on June 3, 2000, at 10:34:35
In reply to Re: Ratios--women to men, posted by SLS on June 3, 2000, at 8:39:42
though most of us don't use our real names,you
get a feel for the gender of people after a while.
(sometimes it is just intutition, and other times
a post will allude to the person's gender). i've
no conclusive idea, but i think that slightly more
women may post here. also, i have noticed that i
do not usually see posts by women that are tremendously
scientifically oriented.an interesting tidbit i ran into a while ago was
linking the prevalence of such antianxiety drugs
as valium and halcion with the period in history
when women were ideally "supposed" to be calm,
doting mothers, wifes, and housecleaners. the
expectation has changed and now women are expected
to be these, plus go getters in the workplace...and
the drugs of choice have changed, from benzodiazopines
to antidepressants that hopefully give more
energy and perhaps allow greater coping mechanisms
for women stretched too thin.peace to all,
juniper
Posted by Noa on June 3, 2000, at 13:55:03
In reply to Re: Ratios--women to men, posted by juniper on June 3, 2000, at 10:34:35
I suspect there may be different symptom and course patterns between men's and women's depreesion.
Posted by Greg on June 3, 2000, at 14:11:15
In reply to Re: Ratios--women to men, posted by Noa on June 3, 2000, at 13:55:03
I agree with Lurker's thought that this trend may be due to men not discussing their feelings as openly as women do. A lot of us were raised to think that men never cry or talk about how they feel.
JMHO
Greg
Posted by Andre Allard on June 5, 2000, at 4:17:36
In reply to Ratios--women to men, posted by Lurker on June 3, 2000, at 6:25:20
The ratio for depression is women:2 = men:1. The suicide ratio is men:4 = women:1.
Posted by Cindy W on June 5, 2000, at 7:51:56
In reply to Re: Ratios--women to men, posted by Andre Allard on June 5, 2000, at 4:17:36
> The ratio for depression is women:2 = men:1. The suicide ratio is men:4 = women:1.
But the ratio for attempting/gesturing suicide is 4 women to l man, from what I've read.--Cindy W
Posted by SLS on June 5, 2000, at 10:32:59
In reply to Re: Ratios--women to men, posted by Andre Allard on June 5, 2000, at 4:17:36
> The ratio for depression is women:2 = men:1. The suicide ratio is men:4 = women:1.
Women are the stronger sex - no doubt about it.
- Scott
Posted by Andre Allard on June 5, 2000, at 14:05:37
In reply to Ratios--women to men, posted by Lurker on June 3, 2000, at 6:25:20
Women do attempt suicide more often then men do. Most of the time though, they do not succeed because they attempt an overdose. Men tend to resort to more harmful ways of ending their lives like jumping off a building or blowing their heads off. An overdose attempt leaves room for failure, while blowing your head into a million peices usually does the trick.
One night, while in the midst of severe depression, in an attempt to self medicate myself with copious amounts of drugs, I almost did overdose. Luckily I ran out of lorazepam, codiene, aspirin and clonazepam or else I would be in the ground right now.
Posted by tina on June 5, 2000, at 14:20:50
In reply to Re: Ratios--women to men, posted by Andre Allard on June 5, 2000, at 14:05:37
I, for one, am genuinely glad you didn't succeed.
> Women do attempt suicide more often then men do. Most of the time though, they do not succeed because they attempt an overdose. Men tend to resort to more harmful ways of ending their lives like jumping off a building or blowing their heads off. An overdose attempt leaves room for failure, while blowing your head into a million peices usually does the trick.
>
> One night, while in the midst of severe depression, in an attempt to self medicate myself with copious amounts of drugs, I almost did overdose. Luckily I ran out of lorazepam, codiene, aspirin and clonazepam or else I would be in the ground right now.
Posted by Cindy W on June 5, 2000, at 21:17:43
In reply to Re: Ratios--women to men, posted by Andre Allard on June 5, 2000, at 14:05:37
> Women do attempt suicide more often then men do. Most of the time though, they do not succeed because they attempt an overdose. Men tend to resort to more harmful ways of ending their lives like jumping off a building or blowing their heads off. An overdose attempt leaves room for failure, while blowing your head into a million peices usually does the trick.
>
> One night, while in the midst of severe depression, in an attempt to self medicate myself with copious amounts of drugs, I almost did overdose. Luckily I ran out of lorazepam, codiene, aspirin and clonazepam or else I would be in the ground right now.Andre, I'm glad you ran out of pills and did not succeed. Your comments are valued here. If there is a way we can help, please keep on talking, and we'll do our best! Hope things are much better now. What was making you so very "down"?--Cindy W
Posted by Andre Allard on June 6, 2000, at 0:13:02
In reply to Re: Ratios--women to men, posted by Cindy W on June 5, 2000, at 21:17:43
"What was making you so very down" you ask. Well, it was not like I spent the entire day in complete tears, could not take any more and then decided to put all the misery to and end once and for all.
It was a Friday night on residence and I had just come home from the gym. My muscles and entire body for that matter were deteriorating so that was not a good start (my looks means a lot to me). After spending some time in the change room, looking in the mirror at a physique which had once competed in bodybuilding competions but that had shriveled into what looked like skin and bone, my self-esteem had plumited from negative 1 too about negative trillion. Like I said, I had just come home and for some reason all my roomates were out. This made me feel even more like a looser as I realized that I was going to spend the night alone weeping like a little baby. I remember getting something to eat and then saying to myself "f___k this". That horrible and excrutiating pain that I felt, which stemmed from a breakup with my first love, two anxiety disorders and a full blown major depressive episode, had taken its toll. Into my bedroom I went, where I decided to do what I had been doing for the last few months - self medicate myself, or get some kind of buzz that would releive that "feeling". Inside my cabinet were roughly 15 lorazepam, 30 clonazepam, 5 herbal valium, 20 aspirin and 10 codiene. Once by one, I poored all the pills down my throte and into my ulcered stomach. I got tired of swollowing all those pills so I decided to put the clonazepam and lorazepam underneath my tongue. "This should speed up the buzz", I thought to myself. Well, it definitely did. Fifteen minutes later I was tipsy and was slurring my speech. Obviously, by this time, I was becoming heavily sedated so I went to bed. The last thing I remeber was feeling butterflies in my stomach as I became nervous while wondering whether this was going to be it or not - even though that was not my intention. Late the next afternoon, some guy who I had never seen before came into my room, woke me up and asked me if I was alright. "Ahh, ya", I replied while still being heavily sedated. Right away I assumed something had happened to me. It seemed my roomates found me on the hall room floor, faceplanted the night before. They picked me up but I collapsed and made another faceplant - I was wondering why my cheekbone was so sore the next day.
It seemed as though the eighty pills I downed did something after all. For the many people who care about me, I am glad I did not pass out for good that night. It is now a over a year since that happened. I look back at that night now and wish that maybe things had turned out differently as I am still battling some depression which at many times I do not want to fight with anymore. My stepmother said something to me a few days after I came home from my first hospitalization, that I will never forget. She said, "Do you know what that would do to your brother"? That phrase plays over and over in my head every day and it is, or I should say HE is the only reason I am not in the ground. Perhaps one day my depression will overcome my love for my brother, sister and many friends. That is to be seen. In the meantime though, I will continue struggling day in and day out until either I do pass out for good or I get hit by a car.
Posted by Cindy W on June 6, 2000, at 9:03:45
In reply to Re: Ratios--women to men--Cindy, posted by Andre Allard on June 6, 2000, at 0:13:02
> "What was making you so very down" you ask. Well, it was not like I spent the entire day in complete tears, could not take any more and then decided to put all the misery to and end once and for all.
>
> It was a Friday night on residence and I had just come home from the gym. My muscles and entire body for that matter were deteriorating so that was not a good start (my looks means a lot to me). After spending some time in the change room, looking in the mirror at a physique which had once competed in bodybuilding competions but that had shriveled into what looked like skin and bone, my self-esteem had plumited from negative 1 too about negative trillion. Like I said, I had just come home and for some reason all my roomates were out. This made me feel even more like a looser as I realized that I was going to spend the night alone weeping like a little baby. I remember getting something to eat and then saying to myself "f___k this". That horrible and excrutiating pain that I felt, which stemmed from a breakup with my first love, two anxiety disorders and a full blown major depressive episode, had taken its toll. Into my bedroom I went, where I decided to do what I had been doing for the last few months - self medicate myself, or get some kind of buzz that would releive that "feeling". Inside my cabinet were roughly 15 lorazepam, 30 clonazepam, 5 herbal valium, 20 aspirin and 10 codiene. Once by one, I poored all the pills down my throte and into my ulcered stomach. I got tired of swollowing all those pills so I decided to put the clonazepam and lorazepam underneath my tongue. "This should speed up the buzz", I thought to myself. Well, it definitely did. Fifteen minutes later I was tipsy and was slurring my speech. Obviously, by this time, I was becoming heavily sedated so I went to bed. The last thing I remeber was feeling butterflies in my stomach as I became nervous while wondering whether this was going to be it or not - even though that was not my intention. Late the next afternoon, some guy who I had never seen before came into my room, woke me up and asked me if I was alright. "Ahh, ya", I replied while still being heavily sedated. Right away I assumed something had happened to me. It seemed my roomates found me on the hall room floor, faceplanted the night before. They picked me up but I collapsed and made another faceplant - I was wondering why my cheekbone was so sore the next day.
>
> It seemed as though the eighty pills I downed did something after all. For the many people who care about me, I am glad I did not pass out for good that night. It is now a over a year since that happened. I look back at that night now and wish that maybe things had turned out differently as I am still battling some depression which at many times I do not want to fight with anymore. My stepmother said something to me a few days after I came home from my first hospitalization, that I will never forget. She said, "Do you know what that would do to your brother"? That phrase plays over and over in my head every day and it is, or I should say HE is the only reason I am not in the ground. Perhaps one day my depression will overcome my love for my brother, sister and many friends. That is to be seen. In the meantime though, I will continue struggling day in and day out until either I do pass out for good or I get hit by a car.Andre, your story nearly moved me to tears. I'm sorry things were so bad for you and hope that they get better. I nearly overdosed when I was a teenager, and am glad now I didn't. Life is rough every day for me, but I'm trying to hang in there, because I figure sooner or later, with help, things can get better.--Cindy W., a fellow battler against depression as well as OCD
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