"A Pill for Every Ill?"
Om kvinnors psykiska ohälsa och läkemedelsanvändande
LäkemedelPsykisk ohälsa hos kvinnorLäkemedelsanvändandeSocialt sammanhangKvinnorSocialt arbeteSocial problems and welfareNational insuranceSociala problemSocial välfärdSocialförsäkringLaw and Political Science
According to several surveys, womens´ mental illness is increasing. Today the mental illness is the reason why a third of women are sick listed. Furthermore, these surveys also show an increase in the use of pharmaceuticals. For an example, has the use of antidepressant drugs multiplied by six times for the last 20 years.The aim of this paper is to examine experiences of womens´ mental illness and the use of pharmaceuticals. This is looked upon from two different perspectives: the treatment perspective as well as the perspective of female users. The paper is based on interviews with a doctor, a psychiatrist, an almoner, a nurse and two women. These interviews show that women are living under constant strain with two jobs, both at work and at home. They feel a lot of responsibility and demands, from themselves as well as from others.Primarily, Antonovskys´ theory "sense of Coherence" (Sw. KASAM) is used for analysing the qualitative empirical findings, but also trains of thoughts from the field of psychosomatics.I have found that the way women feel is reflecting the intense society that we live in and therefor the society has to change at profound levels.