Women's Mental Health Hit Hard by Recession, Yet Many Show Resilience and Resourcefulness...

Women's Mental Health Hit Hard by Recession, Yet Many Show Resilience and
Resourcefulness in Coping with Stress

-- New survey shows women focus on others, at expense of their own mental
health --

/ADVANCE FOR RELEASE AT 12:01 A.M. EDT THURSDAY, APRIL 30/

/ADVANCE/ ARLINGTON, Va., April 30 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- More than
two-thirds of American women interviewed for a survey released today by the
American Psychiatric Association (APA) say that the nation's sagging economy
has negatively affected their lives or the lives of their loved ones. The
findings also indicate women may be neglecting their own needs while focusing
on other concerns.

This two-pronged telephone survey examines the impact of the economic crisis
on the mental well-being of women both nationally and in Clinton County, Ohio,
where survey respondents report significantly higher levels of hardship amid
deep job cuts by air freight giant DHL, which has devastated the local
economy.

Women in the survey report sharp increases in stress, anxiety, frustration and
other negative mental health indicators since the recession took hold last
fall, with job loss pushing these increases even higher. And while more than
three-quarters of these women report engaging in one or more positive coping
strategies, most tend to prioritize family and other financial
responsibilities ahead of their own needs - a tendency that can backfire
despite the best of intentions.

"Women will take care of their families before making sure they have what they
need to stay healthy. If at all possible, they should avoid spending cuts on
activities and resources that can help maintain their own health," said APA
President Nada L. Stotland, M.D., M.P.H. "For instance, keep up the gym
membership, even if it means you can't give your kids the latest electronics.
Take time to exercise and eat right. The bottom line is that taking care of
your mental health is necessary to your ability to care for your family."

In this national telephone survey, women rank the ability to provide food,
clothing and education for their families, relationships with family and
friends, and personal finances such as mortgages and retirement savings, as
more important than their own mental and physical health.

"Losing a job or taking a wage cut creates an ongoing source of anxiety for
families. Women are particularly affected because they are often juggling the
stress of their workplace demands with those of running a household and
keeping their families healthy," Dr. Stotland said. "While this survey focused
on women, the answers we found can be indicative of the health and well-being
of the entire family. The challenge for each of us is to find effective ways
to cope with the stress caused by the economic crisis. Reaching out to a
support network can help."

The APA conducted the survey as part of its "Healthy Minds. Healthy Lives."
campaign, which is designed to improve understanding of mental illnesses,
psychiatry and successful treatment options, as well as to reduce the stigma
sometimes associated with seeking mental health care.

Coping in One Devastated Community
While women across the country are greatly affected by these difficult times,
the APA wanted to look at how the economic crisis was impacting communities
more acutely affected by the stress and anxiety from job loss and wage cuts.
Results from a telephone survey conducted in Clinton County, Ohio - where
DHL's cutbacks have eliminated more than 5,000 jobs in recent months, and the
unemployment rate among the county's roughly 43,000 residents to an estimated
10.5 percent in February - show that women in this hard-hit community
encounter greater levels of stress than seen in women nationally.

More than half of women in Clinton County say they are worried that they or a
family member will lose a job in the near future compared with 40 percent
nationally. And nearly two-thirds of women in Clinton County say the economy
has had "a negative impact" on their mental health, versus just over half of
women polled nationwide. Moreover, when compared with women nationally, the
women of Clinton County are much more likely to be experiencing greater levels
of stress (45% vs. 33%), frustration (38% vs. 27%), anxiety (34% vs. 24%),
irritability (35% vs. 23%) and insomnia or oversleeping (29% vs. 20%).

These feelings are natural, considering the reality of life in Clinton County:
30 percent of women in this hard-hit region say that wage cuts have affected
their family, compared to 21 percent nationally. In addition, the incidence of
job loss in the family is 9 percentage points higher in Clinton County than
the national average.

"Even if people are working, it's emotionally draining to live with a constant
fear of losing a job," said Ohio Psychiatric Physicians Association President,
Joseph Locala, M.D. "To help get through these uncertain times, it's important
to find positive ways to cope - whether it's spending time with friends and
family, engaging in hobbies, exercising, or talking with a clergy member or
mental health professional."

A Silver Lining
While women in communities across the country are facing the stresses brought
on by the economic crisis, this survey demonstrates that women tend to be
resilient and resourceful. More importantly, 76 percent of women polled
nationally say they are participating in more positive activities than they
were six months ago - including spending time with family or friends, praying
or attending religious services, exercising, watching television, reading, or
listening to music.

This survey also found that the majority of women view getting mental health
care as a positive action. Eighty-five percent see the benefit in receiving
support from a mental health professional for emotional or mental health
concerns, and view it as a sign of strength. In addition, 80 percent of women
are confident they could find mental health resources should they or family
members require the services.

The American Psychiatric Association is a national medical specialty society
whose more than 38,000 physician members specialize in diagnosis, treatment,
prevention and research of mental illnesses including substance use disorders.
Visit the APA at www.psych.org and www.HealthyMinds.org.

The national telephone survey of 1,000 women ages 30 to 54 was conducted by
StrategyOne for the APA. The survey was conducted between March 13 and 23 and
has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points. The Clinton
County, Ohio, oversample of 617 interviews has a margin of error of plus or
minus 4 percentage points.

CONTACT: Dan Page at Edelman
(513) 528-0175
Dan.Page@edelman.com

Hillarie Turner at APA
(703) 907-8640
press@psych.org

NOTE: Find tips for coping with stress of the economy. Write press@psych.org
for detailed survey results.

SOURCE American Psychiatric Association

Dan Page, Edelman, +1-513-528-0175, Dan.Page@edelman.com, for the American
Psychiatric Association; or Hillarie Turner of the American Psychiatric
Association, +1-703-907-8640, press@psych.org