When Mental Illness May Not Be

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By

deb y felio

I wonder why Women are more prone to MENtal illness. They raise their families, work outside the home, prepare meals, navigate schedules, continue to work the same jobs for 3/4 the salaries of men, support men in their endeavors and pretend men are more interesting than they really are. In exchange, what do they have?

A history of and ongoing fear for their lives.

• Women now speaking out after 30+years of torMENt and maltreatMENt
• Young Moroccan teen brutally attacked and waits for right judgMENt against the MEN
• 3 US women are killed by the MEN in their lives daily.
• 23% of US children are being raised in single women homes.
• 60% of US children raised in single women households live in poverty
• All those children being raised by women with depression or other mental distress.

Internationally, according to a report by the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), published in 2014, regarding homicides of women, Hong Kong and Japan top the ranking — with women comprising 52.9% of the total homicide victims — followed by South Korea at 52.5%. The worldwide average is 21.3%.

According to UNODC statistics, 55% of female homicide victims in Asia are killed by their family members or intimate partners; the figure for men, on the other hand, is 6%.

The U.N. projects that 1 in 3 women will be raped or beaten in her lifetime, or 1 billion in the world.

And it starts early: In 2012 the (UNODC) United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime reports the percentage of child victims had risen in a 3 year span from 20 per cent to 27 per cent. Of every three child victims, two are girls and one is a boy. When a child starts with that imprint, what else is expected to develop?

There are certain nations who would choose to elect a man based on his view on one specific issue rather than his moral compass and history of treatment toward women. There are certain nations that have even begun to expect that maltreatment of women is an inevitable mistake, and cannot be considered a detriment to a career. There are certain nations that have women candidates who also speak against women who are speaking out. There are certain nations who have leaders who have accepted money – a lot of money – from the men these women are speaking out against. There are certain nations with leaders who have allowed their female children to work for these men. There are certain nations who have never declared rape, abuse or murder of women hate crimes.

It seems that the women more likely to have mental disorders – or more realistically – a response to the environmental disorders in which they live – are those who have done just that – chosen to continue living or who have at least managed to survive. Mental Illness may become the only response that makes sense in a disordered world.

References:

https://www.bmj.com/content/354/bmj.i5320

https://www.apnews.com/5699bdffb7354eea9ccdc4f6fea9d8c7

http://www3.uakron.edu/schulze/401/readings/singleparfam.htm

http://www.unodc.org/documents/data-and-analysis/Forum/11-86168_E_Ebook.pdf

deb y felio

deb y felio is a witness poet and essayist living in Boulder CO, USA. She recently retired as a child and family therapist. After years of helping others find their voices and tell their stories for healing, she is now finding hers and using it to create commentary on historic and current events. Her work can be found in many online literary journals.