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Two recent articles published in the same issue of the ARCHIVES^{1, 2} pose interesting questions regarding the evolutionary roots of depression and depression in women. We would like to propose a point of view that connects the two, and examine its practical implications.

Depression in Women vs Men

Women have an increased incidence of depression compared with men, by a ratio of 2:1.² Moreover, not only clinical depression, but also more subtle dysthymic traits have had a higher prevalence in women after the onset of puberty.³ In evolutionary terms, if depression is viewed as conducive to staying out of danger in a sheltered place,¹ it may have made sense historically for women to manifest more of that trait than men. Women have traditionally been involved in childbearing and child rearing, whereas men have traditionally been the providers of food, material resources, and protection. Dysthymic traits would have kept a woman sheltered from danger to bear and . . . [Full Text of this Article]

Depression and the Menstrual Cycle

Practical Implications