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Mental Illness And Gender

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The relationship between mental health, disorders, and gender is complex, and directly affects how we conceptualize our body, roles, as well as our self and projected identity. The stigma attached to mental conditions are as profoundly impactful as the condition itself. Those with mental disorders are treated differently depending on their gender roles and other intersecting social characteristics. Although sex and gender are not static, “we assume that “men” and “women” have always existed and will always exist.” (Wittig, 1992, p11) Under this binary, males are more likely to be stereotyped as violent, unemotional, strong, whereas females likely to be stereotyped as weak, dependent, emotional (Wirth, 2009, p170) and this can directly affect …show more content…

Male college students seek counselling at half the rate of female college students. (Good, 1995, p 70) can possibly be attributed to the expectation of females being dependent and males being emotionally strong. The experience of being male or female is also profoundly impacted by mental conditions and the stigma attached. Mental disorders can affect the gendering process and how one experiences and preforms gender. However, this relationship between gender and mental health is not isolated. The dynamic between the two can vary based on economic and social standing, location and culture, as well as alternative gender identities that do not fall within the binary. Those society identify as male and female face different oppressions that can contribute to the creation of decreased mental wellbeing, and those with mental conditions face further stigmatization and marginalization depending on their …show more content…

After the context has been established, the effect of these gender roles will be discussed and analyzed. Iris Marion Young describes five faces of oppression as violence, exploitation, marginalization, powerlessness, and cultural imperialism. (Young, 1990, p 40) Although Young intended for these faces to be applied in an economic sense, they are equally applicable to those with mental conditions. This essay will look into the gendered stigma society attaches to mental conditions, the rate of help-seeking, and the difference in treatment of genders by medical and legal

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