Gender differences: Are men or women more likely to be mentally ill?
by Steve Norcross
Part of my training as an Episcopal priest was to go through a summer of Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE). I accomplished this as an intern at a state mental hospital in Texas. Years later, I advanced my education to become a supervisor in CPE, and did so at a large federal mental hospital in Washington, DC.
My training assigned me to several wards, some of which were coed, and others one-gender. In this article I noted some of the key differences between them.
If I had been blindfolded and a door opened that would take me into a men’s ward, I would have known from the sound which ward I was on. Men’s wards were noisier. While many women seemed to be completely absorbed in their own thoughts, men were more likely to be active, moving, or in conversation with other patients.
This is an interesting observation against the widely held view that women talk more than men. Maybe there is something about being a patient that brings out the activity and words in men while directing women toward the interior life.
I saw several men restrained, but very few women. Restraining is a big issue in mental health hospital care. Mmost enlightened professionals see it as a last resort in preventing a patient from harming self or others. The frustration that many mentally ill people feel in comprehending their world and their situations sometimes results in physical attack. The men in my sample seemed especially prone to this.
Suicide and suicide attempts are another factor in managing mental illness. While more women attempt suicide, more men succeed (if suicide can be called success). Men have access to weapons more than do women. If a troubled man suggests suicide, the possibility that he will follow through is very real.
In brief, my observation was that fewer men were admitted to the mental hospital, but the ones who there were seriously ill. Men may seek medical care less readily than women, and men may have more cultural freedom to set boundaries and make alternative choices.
Men aren’t necessarily any crazier than women, but the form and result of being crazy may differ, as in most other areas of life.
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Steve Norcross is an Episcopal priest, the director of pastoral services at William Temple House, and the Priest-in-Charge at Ascension Parish. He is married with two grown children and a granddaughter on the way. His blog is at Snorx.wordpress.com. |
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