Preen.ph
  • Home
  • Profiles
  • Fashion
  • Culture
  • Beauty
  • Food
  • Space
  • Events
Social Accounts
0
0
6K
0
  • Home
  • Contact
  • About
  • INQUIRER.net
0 Likes
0 Followers
6K Followers
0 Subscribers
Subscribe
Preen.ph
Preen.ph
  • Home
  • Profiles
  • Fashion
  • Culture
  • Beauty
  • Food
  • Space
  • Events
  • Beauty
  • Health

Women and mental health: Why you need to stop calling us “psychos”

  • Posted on May 13, 2019
  • 3 minute read
  • Jacqueline Arias
Total
0
Shares
Like 0
Tweet 0

There is some truth to Donald Glover’s Weirdo joke that every man has a “crazy woman story.” I mean, that’s always the sexist response of any man who acts like women are always angry about the most trivial things. The worst part is they think it’s funny to put women in such a negative light.

The use of words like “crazy” and “psycho,” especially toward women, is meant to question and insult their state of mind. It’s the same language that Jay Sonza used to degrade senatorial candidate Samira Gutoc’s competence. The other reason why I dislike these adjectives to describe a woman—or any person—is because it seems to disregard their actual mental health.

READ MORE: Samira Gutoc schools Jay Sonza on his insensitive PWD tweet

According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), there are mental illnesses more common among women, like depression, anxiety, and dementia. There are also disorders that are unique to women due to hormone change: postpartum depression, premenstrual dysphoric disorder, and perimenopause-related depression. Additionally, some symptoms may manifest more among women and illnesses are affected by the sex of the individual. Although women are more likely to get treated for their mental illnesses and are said to have healthy outlets for their emotions, there are still 25 percent who die by suicide.

Here’s another reality check: The World Health Organization (WHO) noted that women develop mental disorders mostly because of “pressures created by their multiple roles, gender discrimination and associated factors of poverty, hunger, malnutrition, overwork, domestic violence and sexual abuse.” The effects are also greater depending on the frequency and severity of the events mentioned.

READ MORE: This postpartum depression drug is the first of its kind to get FDA approval

However, even WHO cited gender bias among people who are diagnosed with depression. “Doctors are more likely to diagnose depression in women compared with men, even when they have similar scores on standardized measures of depression or present with identical symptoms,” they noted. Adding that women are also more likely to be prescribed mood altering psychotropic drugs which are used to stabilize one’s mood and mental status.

Let’s not forget that mental disorders can be hereditary too. HealthyChildren.org noted that the chances of inheriting it is higher if you have a family member who suffers from any illness. This is also proof that mental disorders should be treated with as much importance as physical ailments.

Even if you think calling a woman “crazy” is funny, it’s really not. When we show any kind of emotion—whether it’s anger or sadness, we are automatically perceived as “psychos.” Grazia emphasized that using these derogatory terms against a woman implies they’re “not whole” and “full of cracks.” It also harkens back to age-old stereotypes that women are mentally ill due to their emotional outbursts and desires. (This was called “hysteria” and it was usually cured via masturbation until they orgasm.)

READ MORE: Women’s sexual desires were once considered a mental condition called hysteria

Meanwhile, men are given a pass for their violent behavior because it’s expected of their gender. I guess Donald Glover’s other joke is painfully true: “Why don’t women have ‘crazy man stories’? Oh, right… If you have a crazy boyfriend, you gon’ die.”

Think about it: What if we were going through something heavy? Or our boyfriends made us angry for whatever reason? You can’t expect women to stay stereotypically prim and proper. You also have no idea as to what’s happening inside our brains and the possible abuse many of us have experienced.

We are human and using these derogatory terms not only disregards our emotions, but also minimizes our mental health. It promotes the idea that we can freely throw around these words without realizing its true impact on the people around us. We hope such behavior can be mitigated once the Mental Health Act is fully implemented in schools and the workplace, and other places where women are disrespected and discriminated upon.

 

Photo courtesy of Pexels

For the latest in culture, fashion, beauty, and celebrities, subscribe to our weekly newsletter here  

Follow Preen on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and Viber

Related stories:
Every Brilliant Thing was inspired by the women pushing for the Mental Health Act
Women’s sexual desires were once considered a mental condition called hysteria
Why women are taking the word “crazy” back
The newly crowned Mr. Gay World 2019 is Filipino and he advocates for mental health

Total
0
Shares
Like 0
Tweet 0
Share 0
Related Topics
  • beauty
  • Emotions
  • health
  • mental health
  • women
Previous Article
  • Beauty
  • Beauty Feature

Don’t ignore James Charles allegedly trying to turn straight men gay

  • Posted on May 13, 2019
  • Jacqueline Arias
View Post
Next Article
  • Celebrities
  • Culture

Looks like Jennifer Lawrence and Cooke Maroney will be married very soon

  • Posted on May 14, 2019May 14, 2019
  • B. del Rio
View Post
You May Also Like
View Post
  • Beauty
  • Beauty News

This ‘Star Wars’ makeup collection has a C-3PO gold eyeshadow palette

  • Posted on December 3, 2019December 3, 2019
  • Jacqueline Arias
View Post
  • Beauty
  • Health

The number of HIV/AIDS cases in the PH is getting worse

  • Posted on December 1, 2019December 1, 2019
  • Jacqueline Arias
View Post
  • Beauty
  • Product Feature

F-beauty is here to cater to darker Southeast Asian skin tones

  • Posted on November 25, 2019
  • Jacqueline Arias
View Post
  • Beauty
  • Beauty News

Kylie Jenner just got waaay richer

  • Posted on November 20, 2019
  • Jacqueline Arias

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Editors’ Picks
    • Culture
    • Editor's Pick
    • Momhood
    Raising kids in the age of call-out culture
    • Posted on September 21, 2019September 21, 2019
    • 3 minute read
    • Bless This Mess
    • Culture
    • Editor's Pick
    I treat bath time as a sacred self-care ritual—you should too
    • Posted on August 27, 2019August 27, 2019
    • 4 minute read
    • Bless This Mess
    • Culture
    • Editor's Pick
    “Reset Day” is the new definition of quality me-time
    • Posted on August 5, 2019August 8, 2019
    • 5 minute read
    • Bless This Mess
    • Culture
    • Editor's Pick
    6 bad habits that need to stop before I turn 30
    • Posted on July 27, 2019July 31, 2019
    • 5 minute read
    • Bless This Mess
    • Culture
    • Editor's Pick
    Conquering Mercury retrograde: How to overcome our cosmic foe
    • Posted on July 20, 2019July 20, 2019
    • 4 minute read
Social Accounts
0
0
6K
0
Like us on facebook
Subscribe to our Newsletter
about
Preen.ph © 2018. Hinge Inquirer Publications, Inc.
Social Accounts

Input your search keywords and press Enter.

Go to mobile version