ABSTRACT
A tremendous amount of scientific research has been carried out bearing on sex differences in the prevalence of mental illness. Studies of differences in more specific forms of mental illness will be given attention later. This chapter begins with an examination of mental illness, including mental disorder, in general. Overall, most of the studies of children have indicated that males have more mental illness than do females, but, among adolescents and adults, more evidence points toward mental illness being more common among females. It shows that females exhibit these problems more than males except for one study that sampled people who had attempted suicide. Especially since the 1960s, concerted efforts have been made by mental health practitioners to allow schizophrenics to live freely in the community. Psychological/mental problems in the present context refer to relatively minor forms of general mental illnesses.
