By Willemien Jansen (HST Copy and Content Editor)
Both men and women suffer from mental illness, but the reasons are very different.
Even though men are more likely to die by suicide due to unemployment, occupational issues, divorce and adverse childhood experiences, women are more likely to suffer from mental health issues due to abuse.
South Africa has the greatest number of reported incidences of violence against women worldwide; approximately one every six hours. One in four men have committed sexual offenses, while 40% have physically abused their partners. Violence against women is on the rise, with up to one in four women reporting that they have been beaten or subjected to abuse, even if only 2% of cases result in charges being brought. According to a study conducted by the Royal College of Psychiatrists, psychiatrists in the UK feel that, in large part because of their experience treating patients, violence and abuse are the main causes of mental illness in women and girls.
The majority of respondents (59%) say violence and abuse are contributing to mental illness in their female patients. This was closely followed by relationship issues (49%), often caused by coercive behaviour, and home and family pressures (48%), which also cause significant harm. Another issue that was mentioned as a frequent problem for female patients was isolation or loneliness (24%). Feelings of loneliness are a common problem for many persons with mental illnesses, but they are made much worse if they are being abused.
Women are not just abused physically, but also sexually and emotionally. "Not all abuse is physical – psychological abuse also causes extreme harm and casts a long shadow over victims. We need to identify and respond to trauma if we are to reduce the likelihood of women and girls developing mental illness," says the study. Dr Katherine Durkin, joint presidential lead for women and mental health at the Royal College of Psychiatrists, goes on to say that "sexual violence impacts on mental health in all genders. But these experiences are unfortunately much more common in girls and this plausibly contributes to higher rates of mental health difficulties in girls and women." Emotional abuse is harder to recognise than physical abuse because there are no physical scars, but the effects can be just as profound. Tactics of emotional abuse include gaslighting and shaming, which can leave the victim feeling helpless, hopeless and powerless.
Emotional abuse has serious effects on the victim's mental health. These include:
Short-term effects
- isolation and loneliness
- self-doubt
- shame
- confusion
- low self-esteem
- fear when interacting with others
- avoidance of activities related to the incident
- feelings of powerlessness
Long-term effects
- mental health conditions
- neuroticism, or the tendency toward low mood and negative emotions like anger
- chronic stress
- physical health challenges like body aches and heart palpitations
- attachment challenges
- emotional disconnect or apathy.
Abuse can cause a range of different mental illnesses, including anxiety, depression, substance use disorder, eating disorders and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Symptoms can be even more serious: "Tragically, it is not uncommon for female patients to experience long-term abuse that causes serious symptoms, including suicidal ideation or symptoms of psychosis," said Dr Durkin.
To reduce mental illness in women, we need to reduce the abuse that they suffer. According to the United Nations there are 10 things that everyone can do to help reduce abuse amongst women. These are:
- Listen and believe survivors
- Teach the next generation and learn from them
- Call for responses and services fit for purpose
- Understand consent
- Learn the signs of abuse and how you can help
- Start a conversation
- Stand against rape culture
- Fund women's organisations
- Hold each other accountable
- Know the data and demand more of it
If you or someone you know is being abused, call the Stop Gender Violence Hotline on 0800 150 150 or visit the Life Line website at https://lifelinesa.co.za/