Women are more likely to experience mental health challenges and nervous breakdowns due to societal and biological factors. However, Mission Connection and other experts say that there are ways for women to proactively manage their stress levels and prevent these issues.
Over one billion people live with a mental health condition worldwide. Regardless of country of origin, women are disproportionately impacted by mental illnesses, according to the most recent findings by the World Health Organization.
Compared to men, women face unique stressors arising from gender-based socioeconomic and biological factors, and they are more likely to internalize stress. But Mission Connection and other experts say that it’s important for women to prioritize their mental health, especially if they want to prevent nervous breakdowns - mental health crises that sources like the Industrial Psychiatry Journal have found are more common in women than men.
A nervous breakdown describes a full-body collapse under prolonged psychological strain that leaves individuals unable to function in daily life. While not a clinical diagnosis, the term describes intense periods of mental and emotional distress. Like other mental health issues, the phenomenon affects women disproportionately; one recent UK-based study found that female employees are twice as likely as male employees to take leave from their job due to stress, illustrating the tangible impact of this issue on economic stability.
Women face interconnected stressors that heighten vulnerability to breakdowns, including hormonal fluctuations tied to menstrual cycles, pregnancy, and menopause, which significantly impact emotional regulation.
Caregiving responsibilities, societal expectations around perfectionism, unresolved trauma, and financial strain may exacerbate the stress caused by these biological factors, creating a psychological environment that increases the risk of nervous breakdowns.
Despite the prevalence of these challenges, only half of women experiencing extreme stress and other related mental health issues receive treatment, according to data from the National Institute of Mental Health.
However, experts stress the importance of managing mental health challenges, as nervous breakdowns can have lasting impacts on a woman’s life.
In the period following a mental breakdown, individuals may experience:
Decreased productivity, absenteeism, social withdrawal, and maladaptive coping behaviors are also common after a nervous breakdown, potentially compounding existing stressors.
Women who notice symptoms such as extreme mood swings, persistent fatigue, sudden appetite changes, uncontrollable panic episodes, frequent dissociation, or racing thoughts may be on track to experiencing a nervous breakdown. However, Mission Connection says that it’s possible to prevent a mental health crisis by proactively managing chronic stress. Some healthy coping mechanisms include:
Women are also encouraged to enforce their boundaries and maintain healthy lifestyle choices, including practicing good sleep hygiene and eating a healthy diet.
If these fail to reduce stress levels, professional mental health services, such as the ones Mission Connection offers, are a viable option. Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and eye movement desensitization and processing (EMDR) are two modalities that are particularly helpful for preventing mental breakdowns and addressing unresolved trauma, respectively.
