America’s evolving mental health crisis has become a widespread topic in public discourse as its impacts can be felt throughout various aspects of society.
While the topic surged in 2020 alongside the Covid pandemic, the downturn in mental health began before the pandemic and has increasingly evolved as Americans’, especially American women’s, mental health continues to deteriorate at record pace.
Last year, one in five women reported suffering from depression or anxiety compared to
one in ten men. There are a constellation of factors that contribute to mental health,
ranging from biological to societal. However, there’s one key difference to highlight:
autonomy.
The freedom to make one’s own choices has a significant impact on mental health. Women
in places of power, the ones who can choose their own path, tend to have better mental
well-being than their more oppressed counterparts.
We see that gender equality and mental health go hand in hand as countries that rank among the highest in gender equality, like Sweden and Norway, also have the highest
mental health scores for women. However, a country with more gender equality doesn’t always
translate to better rates of mental health- bringing us back to the constellation of biological and societal factors that contribute to mental health.
Women living in unhealthy romantic relationships, in restrictive homes, or who have fallen
on hard times, struggle most with their psychological health. Research shows autonomy over one’s body, how a woman spends her time, and where she lives are the three contributing factors with an outsized impact on her quality of life.
While there are many ways to impact women’s mental health, one important way is to
gain more autonomy and this can be achieved through wealth equality.
For example, in 2021, Congress expanded the child tax credits so that families would receive $3,600 per child under six and $3,000 per child up to age 17. A study conducted by Harvard found that the expanded tax credits significantly decreased rates of depression and anxiety among low-income families. Perhaps, money can’t buy lasting happiness, but it can certainly buy mental well-being.
Historically, women have been and continue to remain primary caretakers and thus have to choose between careers and caregiving. Data demonstrates that women in low-income communities suffer from mental health disorders at rates three times that of those in higher income brackets.
Accessible management tools such as meditation, yoga, and therapy all have their place in improving mental health, but it doesn’t matter how long you hold downward dog; if you’re going to bed hungry or wondering how you will pay for your (or your family’s) basic needs, your mental health will not improve.
In the public health space, we refer to these potential stressors as social determinants of health, and they relate to poverty level, access to health care, and other environmental indicators. The good news is that, even under these circumstances, there are three identified protective factors that can buffer the impact of societal stressors impacting mental health.
Social Connections: Surround Yourself with Love
I always suggest starting with your inner circle. When my children were young, we had family dinner every Sunday night with extended family. That planned event usually included an opportunity to look at calendars for the week to see who needed support. This access to grandparent and/or extended family support for my children allowed me to continue to work into the afternoon hours.
Even families that are struggling financially may still report solid mental well-being if they are supported by loved ones. If you’re in a position to regularly connect with family, friends, or loved ones, make the time to do so. If you’re feeling isolated, take a moment to assess your support system to determine if you need to focus on creating local support in your life. Making this change can have a profound impact on mental health.
Concrete Support: Create Access to the Help You Need When You Need It
If the idea of creating a local support system feels daunting, rest assured you’re not alone. There are likely programs in your area designed to provide this assistance that you may not be aware of.
Many people are not comfortable seeking help from systems, so if this is the case for you, I suggest first looking at your cultural practices of support. I have a good friend from the Caribbean and she shared with me how her community supports each other financially.
Have you ever heard of a Susu savings account? A revolving susu savings account is a non-traditional savings account that you can create with the help of family or close friends. Every two weeks or month, you and your susu members contribute a certain amount of money to the account. Each time the money is pooled, one member gets to keep this lump sum. Each group member takes turns receiving the lump sum. A susu account will hold you accountable and give you instant access to critical funds (when it’s your turn to receive the susu). But it also helps to build a local support unit through community. Susu members support one another in a variety of ways, beyond financial support and this is what makes this model a strong form of concrete support similar to the support provided through various local, state, and national systems.
Take a moment to think about where you would find concrete support during times of need. If you don’t have access to concrete support, working towards making this change can have a profound impact on mental health.
Resilience: Build Your Mental Health Muscle
Another way to positively impact your mental health and well-being is through intentionally focusing on building your resilience muscle.
In life, there are going to be good times and not-so-good times, and this is true for all of us. Having the skills to navigate the hard times is an important component of managing mental health.
So what does that look like? It looks different for every woman, but our skillset is something we need to be aware of and work toward developing when things are going well, that way we have the tools we need for when things are not going well.
For me, I utilize a combination of exercise, meditation, writing, and intentionally scheduling regular quality time with friends and loved ones. Pouring into my relationships and actively building my support unit is one of the most important ways I foster resilience and combat feelings of isolation.
When I’m going through stressful times, you will find me creating routines that incorporate the above mentioned activities daily (sometimes hourly if need be). I know that when I am under stress, my mind will impact my sleep, so I’m intentional about meditation before bedtime. I know that when I have a jam-packed day, a 4-5 mile walk or run will be the best way for me to start my day and build the capacity to manage the stress of an intense schedule.
These resilience tools are in my toolbox for when I need them. Take a moment and identify what’s in your toolbox. Maybe there are additional tools you would like to develop.
The data is clear that women experience mental health challenges at higher rates than men for a variety of societal and biological factors. However, these three factors can have profound and positive impacts on mental health, even for those struggling with the stressors of poverty, access to health care, and other environmental challenges. Take a moment and assess your social connections, access to concrete support, and the tools in your tool box for resilience during life’s most challenging times. I encourage you to make any changes you feel you need in these areas so you can optimize your mental health and well being.
Works Cited
Mental health. Office on Women’s Health. (n.d.).
Cooper, W. (2024, May 22). Which are the best countries for Mental Health? William Russell.
(2024, November 22). Child tax credit expansion improved parents’ mental health. Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
Poverty, depression, and anxiety. Matthew Ridley, Gautam Rao, Frank Schilbach*, Vikram Pate. (December, 2020)
