Depression in Girls and Women Across the Lifespan

Book excerpt: Depression in Girls and Women Across the Lifespan takes a broad biopsychosocial approach to understanding the onset and experience of depression in women. The book is structured around four major life transitions: depression during puberty and the transition to adolescence; Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder and a woman’s transition through monthly cycles of depression; depression during pregnancy, postpartum, and the transition to motherhood; and depression during perimenopause and the transition to menopause. Integrating cutting-edge research with a wealth of case examples and specific evidence-based interventions, the book expands our understanding of depression by taking into account the biological realities, psychological vulnerabilities, life stressors, and gendered cultural messages and expectations that intersect to shape the onset of depression in women’s lives. Written in a clear, applicable style, Depression in Girls and Women Across the Lifespan enables mental health professionals to provide effective, gender-informed, depression-focused treatments that are tailored to girls’ and women’s unique needs.