According to research, one in four women develop depression at some point in life, while one in three women can expect to experience a major depressive episode at least once. Worried about this development, Medical Director and Psychiatrist-In-Chief at Pinnacle Medical Services, Dr. Maymunah Yusuf Kadiri, has released a new book, Deep Expression.
For her, Deep Expression is about normalising mental health conversations and building a culture of compassion, we want more than ever. It is a transformative book that weaves an electrifying tale of loss, grief, love, and redemption.
The story of the character ‘Brenda’ awakens readers to the menace and claws of depression in its organic progression, all the way to its full evolution, while addressing some deep-seated issues and preconceived societal constructs. It is an important conversation and an essential body of work for anyone who wants to go beyond the awareness of mental health, especially depression, but seeks to take it head on.
The story of Brenda is in every one of us. We all need to build mental health advocates around us. “We just lost a beautiful soul, Sound Sultan and we have lost so many others to COVID-19, the grief, the redemption, the rebirth, that is what deep expressions is all about,” she said.
Speaking on depression among women, Kadiri stressed, “Some of the factors that contribute to depression in women are family history, hormonal factors ranging from pregnancy; fertility, perimenopause, menopause, and menstrual cycles; Environmental factors such as socioeconomic status, education, race, diet, and culture and stressful life events as they have greater sensitivity than men.”
She also noted that there is depression among married women who lack marital satisfaction. Many studies have identified an inverse relationship between the level of education and depression, whereas increasing age has direct relationship with developing depression among adult married women.
“Some factors responsible are, early maternal loss, lack of a confiding relationship, having greater than three children under the age of 14 at home and unemployment. However, this can be improved if there are values, couple growth, communication, conflict resolution, money, sex, affection and cooperation.”
