Women have higher rates of mood and anxiety disorders than men, while men have higher rates of substance and antisocial disorders than women. These disorders result in a number of important adverse life course consequences for both women and men. Women with psychiatric problems are significantly more likely to obtain professional help than comparable men, even though fewer women than men have health insurance. A critical factor in this higher rate of help seeking appears to be the greater tendency for women than men to recognize that they have problems. Despite higher treatment rates, however, the course of psychiatric disorders in women appears not to differ from that of men.
Psychiatric disorders are highly prevalent and impairing conditions.
Although women are more likely to seek treatment than men, only about one-fourth of women with these disorders obtain any type of treatment in a given year. Efforts to facilitate problem recognition and remove barriers to treatment are needed as are interventions to increase the proportion of providers who offer guideline-based treatments. This site is best viewed with Netscape.