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. Women face gender-based discrimination at every stage of their lives. Gender is a critical determinant of mental health and mental illness. The patterns of psychological distress and psychiatric disorder among women are different from those seen among men. Women have a higher mean level of internalizing disorders. Differences between genders have been reported in the age of onset of symptoms, clinical features, frequency of psychotic symptoms, course, social adjustment, and long-term outcome of severe mental disorders. Women who abuse alcohol or drugs are more likely to attribute their drinking to a traumatic event or a stressor and are more likely to have been sexually or physically abused than other women. Girls from nuclear families and women married at a very young age are at a higher risk for attempted suicide and self-harm. Social factors and gender specific factors determine the prevalence and course of mental disorders in female sufferers. Low attendance in hospital settings is partly explained by the lack of availability of resources for women. Around two-thirds of married women in India were victims of domestic violence. Concerted efforts at social, political, economic, and legal levels can bring change in the lives of Indian women and contribute to the improvement of the mental health of these women. 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 gendersensitive approach, working towards women’s empowerment and formulating women-friendly health policies could work wonders for the mental health of Indian women.
