Tuning In: The Role of Music Therapy in Mental Health and Addiction Treatment

Tuning In: The Role of Music Therapy in Mental Health and Addiction Treatment

Kirsten Davis, a music therapist at Homewood Ravensview, a private inpatient facility for mental health and addiction recovery in British Columbia, sits in front of a piano with her patient. The woman is terrified, her body tense, her fingers reluctant to so much as touch the keys. Gradually, Davis encourages her to play a chord. Then another. And another. What happened next is a testament to the extraordinary healing power of music.

“She started to relax,” Davis recalls. “Together, we played, and she started to laugh and do silly things on the piano, like playing it with her elbows.”

Goofing off at the piano may not seem like much of breakthrough, but Davis’s patient was a residential school survivor who was struck by the nuns who taught her every time she played the wrong note. Traumatized, she had not touched a piano since. But at Ravensview, she was finally ready to face her fears and find her voice. 

“At the end of the session, she discovered that the piano was not this scary monster anymore,” says Davis. “It was something that could be fun and joyful.” 

The healing power of music

Humans have instinctually recognized the power of music for centuries. In ancient Greece, music’s effect on the mind and body was considered so intense that some believed it should be controlled. In ancient Egypt, physicians used music to help patients recover from illness. And in many Aboriginal cultures, music is viewed as a powerful healing tool.

Today, music is globally recognized as a therapeutic intervention in a wide variety of clinical contexts. To date, more than 1,000 scientific studies have been published on the topic of music therapy and its impact on everything from asthma management to autism to pre-term infant care to palliative pain relief. Music therapy has also become a vital component in mental health and addiction treatment options for conditions such as anxiety, depression, dementia, stress, PTSD, and addiction to alcohol, drugs, or prescription medications.

In this article, we’ll look at how music is being integrated into holistic treatment programs in Canada to help people identify, explore, and regulate their emotions to discover new resilience, confidence, and authenticity.

What is music therapy?

Music therapy uses music as a therapeutic tool to address emotional, cognitive, social, and physical needs of individuals. It is delivered by a trained and licensed therapist who uses music to help people achieve therapeutic goals, such as improving communication and expressive skills, managing stress, and enhancing overall well-being.

Music therapy can involve a wide array of activities, including group drumming sessions, learning to play an instrument such as the guitar or piano, singing and breathwork, sharing and analyzing songs, creating new music, lyrics, or soundscapes individually or as a group, or simply listening to music for relaxation or emotional discovery.

Davis believes that music therapy provides an important outlet.

“There’s so much work that we do in treatment that’s based on talking,” she says. “If we can provide ways for people to express themselves without using words, that’s really important.”

Priya Shah, who provides music therapy at Homewood Health Centre, an inpatient treatment facility in Guelph, Ontario, sees music as a way to explore difficult emotions or experiences safely.

“Music can act as a form of symbolic distance,” she explains. “Someone can say they relate to a specific song or lyrics without actually saying, ‘This is what happened to me,’ or ‘This is how I’m feeling.’”

Who benefits from music therapy?

As part of mental health and addiction treatment services, music therapy benefits a wide range of individuals as part of a holistic treatment approach. At Homewood Health facilities, music therapists collaborate with other expressive arts therapists (art, creative writing, and horticulture), cognitive behavioural and dialectical behavioural therapists, physicians, and nurses to develop programs for:

  • People with acute or life-threatening psychiatric conditions or addictions
  • People who have been diagnosed with depression, bipolar disorder, or anxiety disorders such as generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, panic disorder, or agoraphobia
  • First responders, including firefighters, paramedics, law enforcement, military personnel, and veterans, who have post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or occupational stress disorder (OSI)
  • People with neurocognitive impairment or forms of dementia including Alzheimer’s
  • Youth in their teens to early 20s with mental health or addiction issues or a history of trauma and secondary diagnoses such as eating disorders or self-harm

How music therapy supports recovery

Shah and Davis both describe music as a versatile medium that can promote the emotional wellbeing of people undergoing mental health and addiction treatment by helping them to connect with, understand, and share their emotions in a safe and creative environment.

Connecting with emotion

Shah says that people often come to music therapy with a certain emotion in mind that they’d like to evoke through music. With the help of a trained music therapist, they can get in touch with those sometimes-overwhelming emotions in a safe space.

“Sometimes patients come to a group saying, ‘I want to release some anger,’ or, ‘I want to cry,’” says Shah. “There can be moments that feel uncomfortable, messy, and chaotic, but music can act as a form of symbolic distance. In individual or group sessions, we practice using music to build distress tolerance.”

Understanding emotion

Being able to name, understand, and accept the emotions they feel also plays an important role in a person’s recovery, and it’s a skill many people in recovery have difficulty with.

“Music can help people identify and express emotions,” Davis says. “We’ll sometimes listen to a song and pull it apart to understand what mood it’s expressing and why people are connecting with that.”

Sharing emotion

Music can also be used to bring people together and help them understand and accept one another and themselves. By sharing a favourite song or lyric with a group, or by creating music and sounds that express their feelings and experiences, people can learn to connect with others and build relationships of trust.

“A lot of the benefit comes from relating to peers and connecting with people who have had similar experiences,” Davis explains. “People find such comfort in realizing they’re not alone, that there are other people who have had those kinds of experiences.”

Creating a safe space

People receiving treatment for mental health and addiction issues face intense psychological challenges, and the emotions and experiences that music evokes can be overwhelming if they are not explored with the help of a trained therapist.

To help their patients safely explore and gain control over the intense emotions that can come up during a therapy session, Shah and Davis ensure that every session is personalized, structured, and nonjudgmental.

Personalized

Shah never sets a routine or schedule. Instead, she checks in with the individual or group to assess what’s needed in the moment and that sets the direction for the session. Activities can include listening to music, singing, playing instruments, creating music or soundscapes, writing lyrics, analyzing or talking about a piece of music, or even dancing.

Davis also takes care to customize the music selection to reflect participants’ tastes. For example, for the “My Path” mental health treatment program for youth at Ravensview, the music selection leans toward hip-hop, rap, and pop.

“For young people, research shows that music is very connected to identity development,” says Davis. “It can help them get in touch with their angst and anger at a safe distance and sharing that music with peers can really validate their experience.”

Structured

Despite being flexible in her approach, Shah believes in carefully structuring therapy sessions so that participants can be playful and experiment, but also have a framework to guide them if they need it.

“Creating sound isn’t always harmonic or pretty. Building comfort with those messy parts of music is an important part of the process,” Shah says. “There can be a lot of perfectionism and fear of getting things wrong. Having something structured can give people something to hold on to, some comfort and instruction. Part of my job is knowing when to challenge and when to let music be a safe place.”

Nonjudgmental

Davis and Shah both agree that one of the most crucial elements of music therapy is its ability to help people overcome negative thoughts and self-image, and both therapists actively create affirmative, accepting spaces.

“People come in with a lot of expectations of themselves,” says Davis. “And they come in thinking that this is about performance, or accuracy, or talent. People will say, ‘I’m tone deaf. I can’t carry a tune in a bucket.’ And we have to break through that, because music is genetically programmed into everybody.”

The impact of music therapy

The effect of music on patients in a therapeutic setting has been researched extensively. Over the past 20 years, more than 1,000 studies have been published on the topic, and there is considerable evidence that music therapy is an effective treatment adjunct for a wide range of mental health and addiction treatments.

Music therapy and trauma

There is evidence that music therapy is a useful therapeutic tool for reducing symptoms and improving functioning among individuals with trauma exposure and PTSD.

Music therapy and schizophrenia

Music therapy helps people with schizophrenia improve their mental state, social functioning, and quality of life.

 Music therapy and dementia

People with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia saw improved non-verbal expression, reduce anxiety and depression.

 Music therapy and addiction

A study of 53 women found that those who experience situational or chronic anxiety related to their addictive disorder saw a significant decrease in anxiety with music therapy.

Music therapy and youth mental health

A meta-analysis of nine papers suggested that for children and teenagers with conditions such as depression and anxiety, music therapy had the potential to improve communication, reduce depression, and increase self-esteem.

Writing a new song

Music can play a critical role in the journey toward recovery by helping people with mental health and addiction issues to safely explore, reconnect with, and regulate powerful and sometimes destructive emotions. By exploring rhythm, melody, sound, and lyrics, they can reconnect with and replenish their inner stores of joy, courage, and creativity on the way to recovering and rediscovering their authentic selves.

by admin

When you Fear the Unknown: Coping with Uncertainty

When you Fear the Unknown: Coping with Uncertainty

We do our best to talk ourselves into believing many different things when facing something unknown. Sometimes, we say that “everything happens for a reason,” “this too shall pass,” or “it is what it is” to calm our minds, soothe our worries, and ease our fears.

While it’s not always as simple as that, we are processing and trying to cope with uncertainty. It’s instinctive. We need reassurance and clarity to feel secure.

In this article, we’ll reframe uncertainty as a part of life that is constant and explore signs to recognize when it’s affecting us negatively. We will also investigate why we have such difficulty dealing with uncertainty, a trait referred to as Intolerance of Uncertainty (IU). There are things we can do to become more comfortable with uncertainty – since it doesn’t ever go away entirely and can resurface when you least expect it.

Uncertainty is part of life

Have you ever wondered what it would be like if our lives weren’t full of uncertainty and we had everything mapped out? It’s hard to imagine because no one comes into this world with complete blueprints for their life. Not knowing how things will play out can be a source of anxiety and can cause panic attacks.

Our brains are always on the lookout for dangerous situations. We can sense fear, and “our bodies respond automatically” to protect us. (1)

When facing uncertainty, we might experience an increased heart rate and more rapid breathing to “increase oxygen and blood going to our muscles” and sweat to control our temperature. (2) We also re-prioritize bodily functions “that aren’t immediately important” in a stressful situation and release adrenaline “to give us energy” and cortisol to both “relieve pain” and “block rational thinking” to focus on survival. (3)

Essentially, we activate our fight, flight, freeze, flop, and friend responses (4):

  • Flight – responding to a dangerous situation physically or verbally
  • Flight –removing yourself from the situation to put you in a safer space
  • Freeze – “going tense, still and silent” as an “instinctive survival response”
  • Flop – shutting down your mind in response to pain and having your muscles relax and become loose so “your body goes floppy”
  • Friend – instinctively calling for help from a friend, bystander, “and/or ‘befriending’” an aggressor to try and negotiate or talk your way out of a situation

What else do we tend to do in the face of uncertainty?

Humans “crave information about the future” and “perceive ambiguity as a threat,” so our brains try to “protect us by diminishing our ability to focus on anything other than creating certainty.” (5) Think for a moment about how we have been learning to deal with uncertainties stemming from the pandemic or what we tend to do when we’re uncertain about our health and perhaps awaiting a medical diagnosis. These are stressful situations for us to figure out because they introduce changes to our regular routines.

For example, while awaiting a medical diagnosis or noticing a change in their health, many people search the Internet for information that could explain their symptoms. Unfortunately, this behaviour can result in an overwhelming amount of information, that is not always credible and can lead to more worry and uncertainty. Looking for answers is part of the quest for certainty: we can’t help ourselves.

Of course, we also can experience uncertainty in other areas of our lives. For example, “research shows that job uncertainty,” that is, worrying about our work and connected finances, is often worse than “actually losing our job.” (6)

Intolerance of Uncertainty (IU)

In some cases, extreme worry, anxiety, and stress associated with not knowing can create problems that may affect how someone handles a situation. Some people can cope with more uncertainty than others who “cannot stand even the smallest amount of uncertainty.” (7) People that are uncomfortable with uncertainty may opt to stick with familiar situations and spend much of their energy on avoiding, eliminating or controlling the negative associations they experience with uncertainty. (8) They could be viewed as perfectionists, have an “inflated sense of responsibility” or even “behave as though they have a phobia of uncertainty.” (9) In cases where anxiety creates peak amounts of distress that seriously affect someone, specialized therapy may provide some comfort and relief. The COVID-19 pandemic is a recent example of people experiencing high degrees of Intolerance of Uncertainty. Researchers have discovered that the general uncertainty associated with the pandemic correlates to excessive amounts of physiological and psychological stress, which in turn has created increased anxiety, emotional problems, depression, and other mental health concerns. (10)

Unhealthy ways of coping with uncertainty

There are several ways that people try to cope with uncertainty that are unproductive and result in more significant stress.

  • Using worrying as a tool for trying to predict the future. Worrying can give you the illusion of control over uncertain circumstances.
  • Compulsively seeking information can make people feel overwhelmed, depressed, or panicky. It results in a situation where it’s difficult to determine what information is credible and what is misinformation because it all creates more uncertainty.
  • Isolating ourselves only results in increased feelings of anxiety and loneliness. During the early days of the pandemic, for example, when restrictions were a way to reduce the spread of infection, many people experienced anger, doubt, mistrust, and fear because they had never experienced anything similar.

How can you get more comfortable with uncertainty?

Psychologists have offered tips on how to deal with uncertainty more effectively. These include (11):

  • Using self-compassion and allowing time and space to feel and experience your emotions.
  • Practicing acceptance where you reflect on how life has always been uncertain.
  • Staying in the present to avoid overthinking or distractions that have us examine the past or guess at the future.
  • Reflecting on past experiences to address uncertainty and promote personal growth.
  • Practicing self-care, embracing our instincts and self-awareness can help ground us and offer a chance to relax and recharge.
  • Planning for change and uncertainty to feel better prepared to respond to future situations.

Keep things manageable by choosing three areas of focus

1. Start by focusing on what is within your control and act only on those things. If you find yourself drifting back to negative thoughts, try clearing your mind using meditation, exercising, or doing something else you love.

2. Reduce social media, news, and Internet use so you develop greater awareness of what information you are consuming and sharing. Consider that social media rarely presents authentic situations. Stick with credible sources and avoid comparisons to other people or situations.

3. Finally, focus on what brings you joy including:

  • Hobbies
  • Social connections
  • Spending and making time for those who you determine you want in your life and where you are both benefiting from the relationship
  • Gratitude journaling
  • Affirmations and being kind to yourself

Being able to reframe your thinking about uncertainties in our lives may help you learn to become more content with them. You’ll reduce harmful stress and negative thought patterns and achieve better well-being, ready to embrace life with more optimism daily.

References:

1. Rape Crisis England & Wales (n.d.), The 5 Fs: fight, flight, freeze, flop and friend. Rape Crisis England & Wales. Retrieved January 20, 2023 from https://rapecrisis.org.uk/get-help/tools-for-victims-and-survivors/understanding-your-response/fight-or-flight/#:~:text=The%20%27fight%20or%20flight%27%20response,fight%27%20or%20%27flight%27.

2. Ibid.

3. Ibid.

4. Ibid.

5. Carter, Christine. (2020 July 27). Seven Ways to Cope with Uncertainty. Greater Good Magazine: Science-Based Insights For A Meaningful Life, University of California, Berkely. Retrieved January 21, 2023 from https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/seven_ways_to_cope_with_uncertainty

6. Ibid.

7. Anxiety Canada (n.d.). Intolerance of Uncertainty. Anxiety Canada. Retrieved January 21, 2023 from https://www.anxietycanada.com/articles/intolerance-of-uncertainty/

8. Psychology Tools. (n.d.) Intolerance of Uncertainty. Psychological Tools. Retrieved January 21, 2023 from https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/intolerance-of-uncertainty/

9. Ibid.

10. Russo, Francine. (2022 February 14). The Personality Trait “Intolerance of Uncertainty” Causes Anguish during COVID.” Scientific American. Retrieved on January 21, 2023 from https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-personality-trait-intolerance-of-uncertainty-causes-anguish-during-covid/

11.The Wellness Society. (n.d.). How to Deal with Uncertainty: 6 Tips From a Psychologist. The Wellness Society. Retrieved January 21, 2023 from https://thewellnesssociety.org/how-to-deal-with-un…

by admin

Women’s Mental Health: Concerns, Barriers and Support

Women’s Mental Health: Concerns, Barriers and Support

Sex and gender interact with a variety of other determinants of health to influence our mental health. Despite efforts to focus on equality, gender bias continues to create complications that can take quite a toll on women’s mental health.

Social beliefs and cultural practices influence us, even before birth, and carry on throughout our lives as we grow and develop into adults. They help build our understanding of what we can enjoy and how we “should” act. Sometimes, however, they become barriers preventing women from seeking the support they need.

This article will look at women’s common mental health concerns and explore some of the distinct physiological factors that affect their health. We will also share available resources and treatment options.

Common mental health concerns for women

At the turn of the Millennium, the World Health Organization decided to update its inaugural Status of Women’s mental health study published in 1993. The new document included a prediction: that depression would become “the second most important cause of disease burden in the world by the year 2020.” (1) Researchers further stated that “women in developed and developing countries alike [were] almost twice as likely as men to experience depression.” (2) And they warned that, “violence and self-inflicted injuries” would “have special relevance for women’s mental health.” (3)

Today, just a few years beyond that forecast, women are experiencing mental health challenges that outpace available support. Researchers have continued to focus on profiling the unique differences around the kinds of mental health challenges women tend to experience most frequently. They’ve found that “women are more likely to be diagnosed with anxiety or depression, while men tend toward substance abuse or antisocial disorders.” (4) They have also validated that women and men exhibit various differences in symptoms. The symptoms women may experience are more likely:

  • Internalizing disorders, where emotions aren’t shared and “typically results in withdrawal, loneliness, and depression,” is more common in women. Men tend to do the opposite, developing “substance abuse” and “antisocial problems” that see them “externalizing their emotions which leads to aggressive, impulsive, coercive and noncompliant behavior.” (5)
  • Focusing on negative emotions and going over their problems more repeatedly than men do. It’s a gender-based difference that characterizes women’s experiences with depression, where they seem more vulnerable to becoming “stuck” instead of engaging in more active problem-solving. (6)
  • Hormonal triggers certainly contribute to changes in women’s bodies, and they are often seen as a natural cause of both pre- and post-natal depression. But the truth is that they are not always at the root of issues. There are other genetic and biological factors also at play.

Reconsidering the influence of harmful gender-biased narratives related to hormones

Recalling common behavioural stereotypes about women’s bodily functions probably doesn’t take much thought. Many factors beyond an individual woman’s biology influence their mental health. Still, it’s harmful gender-biased viewpoints that continue to perpetuate unfair beliefs.

The Lancet, a highly respected medical journal, published a series of studies exposing how gender beliefs can influence women’s care.

  • One study revealed that while women’s sex hormones and an impairment of their fight-flight-flee responses shaped their experiences with depression, there were other psychosocial factors at play. Women reported that things such as low self-esteem, experiences with body shaming, and relationship stressors such as violence and sexual abuse also contributed to their depression. (7)
  • When looking at anxiety, trauma and stress-related mental health conditions, researchers hypothesized that biological differences made women more vulnerable. They investigated how monthly fluctuations of hormones such as estrogen and progesterone affected women’s thinking and behaviours but ignored any psychosocial influences. (8)
  • We shouldn’t ignore societal expectations’ role in influencing women’s physical and mental health, especially regarding reproductive health issues related to infertility or fundamental reproductive rights. Pressures and stresses can lead women to feel that they have lost control and a sense of direction over their lives. Consider how categorially many other non-biological issues contribute to women’s poor health. There are economic, legal, and environmental influences, as well as poverty and inequality related to women’s wages, opportunities, and living conditions.

Social and cultural beliefs feed discrimination and bias against women trying to secure care

Social and cultural ideas about femininity and masculinity influence our thoughts and actions and impact situations they shouldn’t. (9) For example, it’s not uncommon for women to report incidents where they have not been taken seriously by physicians. One report shared findings of over 1000 women over the age of 16 who completed a survey in the province of British Columbia. Many women frequently reported the need to advocate for their health to obtain diagnostic exams and treatment because their symptoms and concerns have been dismissed, stigmatized, or attributed to incorrect diagnoses. (10) Many women shared that they initially didn’t “think their gender played a role in their care…when asked to share specifics about their experiences, [but] it became clear that being a woman did influence their treatment.” (11)

It isn’t wholly unexpected. Research focused exclusively on male subjects has provided information and influenced medical practices for decades. Excluding females has, in some cases, delayed understanding of drug interactions and their effects on female hormones and health conditions. (12) Dr. Alyson McGregor writes about what she believes to be a “flawed assumption” that medicine that “makes sense in a male body [also] must make sense in a female one.” (13)

Historically, misinformed attitudes and beliefs about menstrual cycles sometimes led to women being misdiagnosed for serious medical conditions. Alarmingly, however, women still report that these attitudes cloud their current-day healthcare experiences. One panel of physicians said that they’ve come across women in their practices that have experienced situations where “heart disease [was] labelled as anxiety, an autoimmune disorder [was] attributed to depression, [and] ovarian cysts [were] chalked up to ‘normal period pain.'” (14) Another study revealed that 51% of women felt that a physician “had diminished or overlooked their symptoms” (15)

There are also differences between treatment approaches for women’s and men’s mental health conditions that can be attributed to unconscious biases in medical care. Developing more awareness to identify and address these problems is a big step towards improving women’s health care in general, but also helping to deliver critical support to women who are experiencing serious mental health conditions.

What are some ways for women to cope with these concerns?

Providing clear examples and information about a wide range of situations helps advocacy groups in their quest to influence reforms. When women share their experiences, it can create a demand for policy changes. Here are some ways that women can take action:

  • Be prepared when you meet with doctors. Have up-to-date lists of prescriptions, vitamins, and supplements, and note any allergies to ensure that doctors are working with complete information.
  • Be bold and ask questions. If answers aren’t immediately available, physicians do leverage their networks to better understand your experiences and provide the best care options for you.
  • Trust that you are the most in-tune and well-informed person about your body. Intuitively, we often can tell when something feels off. When you experience symptoms of something unusual, take action to get medical care and keep pushing for answers.
  • Seek out local and national organizations that are working to understand and improve women’s healthcare experiences. A quick web search of “woman’s health advocacy” can often provide local and national contacts. By connecting with these groups, you might learn about medical trials or discover other ways to improve women’s health care, including offering financial donations.
  • Ask for second opinions or consider switching physicians if you aren’t satisfied with your experience. The latter may be more challenging to orchestrate because of the corresponding problem of physician shortages.

Hospitals are also doing their part to change the face of women’s healthcare by introducing specialized nursing roles, such as Forensic Nurse Examiners (FNE). These roles exist so that women build their value and self-worth after experiencing violence and abuse. Working with an FNE can help women develop confidence about their treatments and mental health recovery from traumatic events.

What are some factors that affect women’s mental health?

Awareness of the unique differences associated with women’s mental health concerns is essential because these can shift as we age. Some of the most common factors that affect women include:

  • Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS) results from hormone fluctuations during women’s monthly menstrual cycles. It can include a variety of symptoms, such as headaches, bloating and increased emotional sensitivity. Depression and anxiety can intensify the symptoms.
  • Premenstrual Dysmorphic Disorder (PMDD)shares a similar group of symptoms to PMS; however, it differs because they are significantly worse. PMDD is characterized by “extreme mood swings, tension, irritability, and severe depression. ” In many cases, it affects personal and professional relationships and worsens around a woman’s period. (16)
  • Pressures many women feel about achieving or maintaining an idealized body image or lifestyle that social media has influenced are often referred to as body dysmorphia. Women believe that they must conform to what they see online, and this can result in other serious complications, such as:
    • Eating disorders
      • Women comprise the majority of people with eating disorders, at 85-95% of those diagnosed with bulimia or anorexia nervosa. (17)
    • Anxiety
      • One study showed that approximately 10% more young women experience anxiety-related conditions than men. (18)
    • Depression
      • While up to 5% of the world’s population is affected by depression, women’s occurrence rate is double that of men. (19)
    • Suicide
    • Women attempt suicide 1.5 times more than men. (20)

What are some of the barriers that prevent women from seeking treatment to improve their mental health?

Race and culture

One study found that lack of access to mental health support and cultural stigmas prevent women from getting the help they need. In some cultures, women with mental health challenges face severe stigma. Other times, language barriers create problems. For example, some languages do not have words to describe someone experiencing mental health challenges. (21)

Female international students studying in North America face intense pressure to balance their studies, earn income, and adjust to new living situations. In some cases, while they may have gained more independence and responsibilities, they struggle with family and cultural obligations that they must also maintain. Many of these women who experience mental health challenges don’t know where to turn for help.

Age, education, and income

According to Mental Health Research Canada, women under 25 are “over-represented among those with high anxiety, stress and depression and are less likely to seek mental health support, citing an inability to pay or not having insurance coverage as barriers.” (22) The problem can be partly attributed to a shift in employment practices. Full-time roles are becoming more difficult to find as younger women struggle to break into their fields. As a result, they often start off taking low-wage, contract positions that rarely offer benefits. When they need specialized support and healthcare, sometimes the fees associated with these services become prohibitive when weighed against covering basic living expenses. Mental health issues will go unresolved and become increasingly more severe.

Urbanization

  • Mental health treatment is only sometimes available in smaller communities, and people must travel to regional centres for expanded services. For example, in Canada’s far north, people face everyday challenges with general medical care, but even more so with the ease of obtaining mental health services. Many rural communities also find the availability to coordinate care and treatment with traditional Indigenous medicine quite challenging.

What are some resources available for women seeking mental health treatment?

While many local resources are available, we would like to profile some broad-based solutions that women may be interested in exploring.

If you live in Canada, visit the Government of Canada website and search for “Mental Health Support: Get Help” to find links to national and provincially-based services.

https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/mental-health-services/mental-health-get-help.html

If you are in the United States, start with the US Government’s Women’s Health website

https://www.womenshealth.gov/mental-health/get-help-now

What can we do to support women and their mental health better?

There are some initial steps we can begin to take that will offer better support for women and improve their mental health:

  1. Acknowledge gender inequality.
  2. Ensure that women are better supported at home and in workplaces.
  3. Speak out against misinformation.
  4. Hold employers accountable for developing diversity, equity and inclusion policies that are respectful and inclusive for all women.
  5. Remember to act with kindness and compassion, always.

With encouragement, awareness, and increased availability of resources, women can develop better resilience and feel more supported.

References: 

1. World Health Organization, (2000). Women’s Mental Health: An Evidence Based Review. Mental health Determinants and Populations Department of Mental Health and Substance Dependence, World Health Organization. Retrieved December 29, 2022 from https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/6…

2. Ibid.

3. Ibid.

4. American Psychological Association, (2011). Study Finds Sex Differences in Mental Health. American Psychological Association. Retrieved December 29, 2022 from https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2011/08/me…

5. Ibid.

6. Nolen-Hoeksema, 1987; Nolen-Hoeksema, Wisco, & Lyubomirksy, 2008, as cited by Eaton et. al, (2011). Brief Report: An Invariant Dimensional Liability Model of Gender Differences in Mental Disorder Prevalence: Evidence From a National Sample. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, American Psychological Association. Retrieved December 29, 2022 from https://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/releases/abn-121…

7. Riecher-Rössler, A. (14 November 2016). Sex and Gender differences in mental disorders. The Lancet Psychiatry. Retrieved December 29, 2022 from https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpsy/article/…30348-0/fulltext

8. Ibid.

9. Reviewed by Coveney, S (2022 January 31). The Gender Gap in Mental Health. News Medical Life Sciences. Retrieved December 29, 2022 from https://www.news-medical.net/health/The-Gender-Gap…

10. BC Women’s Health Foundation in partnership with Pacific Blue Cross (2019 October). In Her Words: Women’s Experience with the Healthcare System in British Columbia. BC Women’s Health Foundation. Retrieved January 10, 2023 from https://assets.bcwomensfoundation.org/2020/10/28162020/BCWHF-In-Her-Words-Report-2019.pdf

11. Furfaro, H. (2022 September 16). Why women with serious mental illness often get worse care than men. The Seattle Times. Retrieved December 29, 2022 from https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/mental-h…

12. McLean Hospital, (2020, July 22). The Impact of Age and Gender on Mental Health. McLean Harvard Medical School Affiliate. Retrieved on December 29, 2022 from https://www.mcleanhospital.org/essential/impact-ag…

13. McGregor, A.J.,M.D. (2020 May 19). Sex Matters: How Male-Centric Medicine Endangers Women’s Health and What We Can Do About It. Hachette Book Group Inc. p.7. Retrieved December 29, 2022 from https://www.alysonmcgregormd.com/book

14. Northwell Health – Katz’s Institute for Women’s Health. (n.d.). Gaslighting in women’s health: No, it’s not just in your head. Northwell Health. Retrieved on December 29, 2022 from https://www.northwell.edu/katz-institute-for-women…

15. CBC News. (2019 October 10). Half of women in B.C. say doctors have played down their health concerns, report finds. CBC News. Retrieved December 29, 2022 from https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/bc…

16. McLean Hospital, (2022, March 4). Understanding Mental Health Over A Woman’s Lifetime. McLean Harvard Medical School Affiliate. Retrieved on December 29, 2022 from https://www.mcleanhospital.org/essential/understan…

17. Cooper, S. (2022 June 13). Women’s Mental Health: Facts and Statistics. Innerbody.com. Retrieved December 29, 2022 from https://www.innerbody.com/womens-mental-health-fac…

18. Ibid.

19.Ibid.

20. Ibid.

21. Pasieka, C. (2022 April 10). Racialized women face significant barriers when seeking mental health care, study finds. CBC News. Retrieved December 29, 2022 from https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/racialized-…

22. Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA). (2022 October 25). CMHA testimony before FEWO: young women and girls mental health study. CMHA.ca. Retrieved December 29, 2022 from https://cmha.ca/news/cmha-testimony-before-fewo-yo…

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