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Dear John,
I am pleased to announce the release of Treatment Advocacy Center’s newest research report, Listen to Us: The Unique Experience of Women with Severe Mental Illness, which examines the intersection of womanhood and severe mental illness.
Women with severe mental illness face unique experiences and obstacles compared to men with the same illnesses and women without schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or major depression. While some research examines how women are disproportionately impacted, there is a lack of research that listens to the experiences of women themselves. The Office of Research and Public Affairs conducted focus groups to hear directly from women with severe mental illness about their unique experiences, perspectives, and challenges.
Key Findings
- Women with severe mental illness have long faced institutional biases because of their gender and diagnoses: Their symptoms are less likely to be taken seriously by clinicians and they are more likely to be misdiagnosed. Yet many women do not see or feel these disparities because gender inequality and the stigma of having severe mental illness are so longstanding and deeply ingrained.
- There are larger barriers to treatment for women with severe mental illnesses than for men with the same disorders, including greater difficulty in accessing inpatient psychiatric beds.
- Social isolation and relationship challenges are common problems for women with severe mental illness. Motherhood is possible and can be fulfilling for those women who want children. However, some women feel that the burden of their illness is too much or that they do not want to pass on the genes associated with their mental illness to their children.
- The long road to stability can be empowering for women with severe mental illness. Many of the focus group participants felt inspired to share their stories with the hope of educating and demonstrating to other women that living a fulfilling life is possible.
Listen to Us is available here.
Sincerely,
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