
We are never zombied out, by the way. NEVER.
As busy as we are in today's day and age, we do not have time for nonsense. We don't have time to be sick. We don't have time to be depressed.
So why is it that women are more than twice as likely to suffer from a mental illness?
Just isn't fair is it? So why are we cursed to deal with mental illness on top of it?
Sadly, it's because we are women. That is, in fact, one of the biggest contributing factors.
What exactly causes women to be prewired for mental illnesses? Several things. At the top of the list is our hormones. Hormones can be blamed for just about every weird and icky thing we go through. Hormones suck, and we are doomed to wrestle with them until we die. It starts with puberty, then with pregnancy, and then menopause. It never ends.
Women are also pre-programmed to think. A lot. Too much even. But that's how we are wired. We are programmed to worry about ourselves, our parents, our husbands, our children, our jobs, everything. It's through all this thinking and worrying that our brain goes caput. Our brain short circuits a bit and we end up with a mental illness.
What goes hand in hand with worrying and thinking all the time? Stress. So. Much. Stress. Not only are we constantly on the go and always running our brains on high speed, there are many expectations that society has placed on us. Not only are we working just like our male-counterparts, but we are also expected to take on the brunt of raising the kids, the housework, and keeping everyone else on schedule. Like I said before, busy, busy, busy.
You want to know the number one reason women are more likely to suffer from a mental illness than men? Because we get help.
That's right. So simple, huh?
Yup, We have a higher mental illness rate because we go in, talk to a doctor, and get the help we need. Men are programmed to be strong, brave, and stone cold to emotions. So when they start showing signs of a mental illness, they don't say anything. They stay tight lipped. Men are more likely to abuse substances before they go and get help for a mental illness.
Crazy right?
But all of this is important. It's important to know what can cause these things. When you know what can naturally set things in motion. It's also gives you the jump on preventing a mental illness from creeping up on you.
Women are, unfortunately, programmed to handle all of this. It may not seem like it, but we a naturally more susceptible to mental health problems, so we are also better equipped than the men in our lives to overcome it. You can also take comfort in knowing that you are not alone. You are in good company. You are struggling with millions of other women (and a few good men) with mental illnesses.
We really do need to make jackets...