Gender and Remission of Mental Illness (Quantitative Research) (Clinical Report‪)‬

Gender differences in the prevalence of mental illness are well documented, (1-6) but whether gender also influences the timing of remission is unclear. Do the factors that contribute to a higher prevalence of illness among females also translate into a gender gap in the remission of illness? There is a good rationale to anticipate that gender is a factor in remission. For example, the literature suggests that gender dissimilarities in response to depression could lead to differences in the alleviation, complication or persistence of symptoms. (7-13) In addition, gender differences in the clinical features of illness could also influence remission. Yet, the literature provides inconsistent conclusions and largely focuses on mood disorders. One group of studies argues that gender has a non-significant effect on remission. For example, Benedetti et al. (14) investigated whether gender influences the course of bipolar disorder. Their research showed that gender is non-significant in terms of the reduction of symptoms and number of recurrences of bipolar disorder. Benedetti et al. remarked that the effect of gender observed in other studies could be a result of ignoring dissimilarities in medical treatment. However, gender does not moderate the effect of pharmacological treatment for depression, according to Grubbe Hildebrandt et al. (15) Their research demonstrates that, given equivalent therapies, gender is a non-significant factor in the post-treatment outcomes of depression.