Pages - Women_Depression

Prevalence of Depression Among Women

Adult women:

19.3% of Maryland women reported having ever received a diagnosis of a depressive disorder, compared to 12.3% of Maryland men¹

High school students:

34.2% of female high school students in Maryland “[felt] so sad or hopeless almost every day for two weeks or more in a row that [they] stopped doing some usual activities” during the past year²
20.0% of female students in Maryland seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year²
15.0% of female students in Maryland made a suicide plan in the past year²
10.6% of female students nationwide attempted suicide in the past year²
Female students are 1.5 to 2 times more likely to feel depressed, consider suicide, make a suicide plan, or attempt suicide than male students²

Prevalence of PMDD among women is about 2%³

References:

Maryland Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. BRFSS – 2013 Results. Available at https://health.maryland.gov/phpa/ccdpc/reports/pages/brfss.aspx. Accessed on November 26, 2014.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 2013 High School Youth Risk Behavior Survey Data. Available at http://nccd.cdc.gov/youthonline/. Accessed on November 24, 2014.
Yonkers KA, Casper RF. Epidemiology and pathogenesis of premenstrual syndrome and premenstrual dysphoric disorder. In: UpToDate, Martin KA (Ed), UpToDate, Waltham, MA. (Accessed on December 3, 2014.)

12/2014