Gender and mental illness: "Does mental illness have a gender? "

Abstract

One of the goals of many countries in the modern world is to reduce gender differences in all areas, including mental health. This implies the need to consider other determinants than biological determinants in the genesis of the mental disorder. This gives the mental illness a new analysis with reference to its biological, psychological, social and gendered aspects.

The purpose of this article is to analyze the changes that have been made in the issue of gender in mental illness, through: A historical background of studies in the field of psychiatry and mental health on the one hand; and on the other hand, a sociological study based on an ethnographic approach on the ground.

We present some results from the decryption of the speeches of our respondents, which illustrate the link and the reciprocal influence between gender and mental illness, which we describe as "gendered psychic suffering".