Coping: How Men and Women Differ
Over the course of many years, the human race has searched for methods to overcome hardships. Studies have shown that usually women tend to feel depressed when compared to men who tend to cope through drug abuse and alcohol addiction. Of course, this will always vary among every individual. Nonetheless, this pattern is explainable physically and psychologically.
Physically, hormone fluctuation is the more common cause of depression in women. During the transitional phase between a normal menstrual cycle and menopause, women may have difficulties. This is due to the way estradiol works in their body, causing serotonin synthesis and other processes to be affected. Women who have recently given birth are also very likely to experience a hormone fluctuation causing depression known as postpartum. On a different note, psychologically, women are more likely to seek answers within themselves; they often struggle and end up blaming themselves for why they have difficulties.
Men are geared to take a different approach on things. They tend to be more independent in the sense that they are more likely to seek some form of help to fix their problems. That is where alcohol or drugs can be used as a form of "blocking out" the sadness or a way to desensitize one's feelings. Of course, these findings are generalized and individual cases will include women suffering and struggling with drug addiction and/or alcoholism as well as men who are clinically depressed. Some extreme cases show both men and women to be suffering from anxiety or depression, and in a desperate attempt to alleviate the pain end up as drug users, suffering from both cases mentioned above. In the end, the most important part of drug addiction, alcoholism and/or depression is being able to recognize when help is needed.
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