Adolescent angst
Marla Ahlgrimm says being a teenage girl isn’t easy. This is especially true in a body-obsessed society where altered images of women have become the expected norm. Emerging young women are constantly pressured to look better than their best. The constant battle to keep up with this unrealistic image is a significant contributing factor to depression and other mental health conditions in teenage girls already struggling with peer pressure, noted Marla Ahlgrimm.
The baby blues
Having a baby is one of the most exciting times in a woman’s life. Ironically, it is also one of the most difficult emotional periods for many women, says Marla Ahlgrimm. Transitioning into motherhood isn’t easy and the anxiety, irritability, and sadness that often accompany the months after childbirth have been dubbed “baby blues” for the last 50 years. But, nearly 20% of new moms sink into a deeper type – postpartum depression.
The empty nest test
Most mothers experience children beginning to leave for college while she is in her 40s. Coincidently, reports Marla Ahlgrimm, this is also the time when a woman’s body is changing in a sort of a reverse puberty. During menopause, a woman may be more emotional than normal. That, coupled with the fear and anxieties of watching her children fend for themselves for the first time, can take a toll on a woman’s emotional state.
Senior sadness
Senior women have unique needs where mental health is concerned. It is during this phase of life when a woman may begin to lose friends, and possibly her partner. Senior screenings may help circumvent depression that would prevent a woman from living out her final years in peace.
