ABSTRACT
There is no controversy about a preponderance of depressive women over men in the community: the cross-national epidemiological analysis of Weissman and colleagues1 demonstrated clearly that women showed higher rates of depression than men across nine countries, comprising approximately 38 000 community subjects. Also, the World Health Organization (WHO) monograph of Picinelli and associates2, reviewing the epidemiological literature on gender differences, stated clearly: ‘Although prevalence rates of major depression and dysthymia vary by country, a consistent finding is that rates are higher in females compared to males, with about a twofold gender difference on average/ The review also concluded that the gender difference is not due to case definition, measurements, recall bias or differential mortality.
