Women In Psychiatry Research Articles

"To go mad". The Generation of Feminist Criticism of Psychiatry: The Example of the Magazine Courage, 1978-1980

Using the example of the feminist magazine Courage, the article shows how its participatory production process enabled apsy-feminist knowledge generation that also included women with psychiatric experience. The magazine makers combined the women's observations, perceptions and interpretations with visual representations and acanon of literature that extended far beyond the field of psychiatry (criticism). Instead of medical psychopathologies, the women of Courage implemented writing styles and visual languages, which emphasised the experience of mental suffering and alterity and related it to the social position of women. At the same time, Courage also presented alternative feminist treatments and therapies. The Courage's critique of psychiatry was characterised by amulti-perspective approach that removed the topic of "women in psychiatry" from the narrow field of psychiatry, psychology and psychotherapy and expanded it to include artistic, patient- and experience-oriented and socio-critical perspectives.

Peer workers to address discrimination against women in psychiatry and mental health

Compared to the general population and to males with mental health disorders, women with these disorders face more obstacles in psychiatric and mental health care settings. This strongly encourages mental health policies and psychiatric care to consider specific strategies that prevent gender bias in treatment among women with mental health issues. A growing body of research demonstrates the benefits of having peer workers–professionals with a lived experience of mental health issues who use their own experiences of mental distress to support others with comparable experiences–in mental health services. We postulate that peer support can become an important and integrated aspect of preventing and addressing discrimination against women in psychiatry and mental health care. First, women peer workers may combine their lived experiences as service users and as women to provide unique, experience- and gender-based support to women users who experience discrimination. Non-women or women peer workers who did not experience gender discrimination in psychiatric settings may nevertheless benefit from the integration of gender education in their curriculum and, in turn, bring a feminist lens to their work to achieve this mission. Second, using their experience as service users, peer workers have the credible ability to communicate and translate women patients’ needs to the medical staff, and thus facilitate concrete, need-based adjustments of services. Third, peer workers’ involvement as instructors in medical schools could provide early awareness of injustices experienced by women in psychiatry and mental health care. Further research is required to test the effectiveness of peer workers in addressing discrimination against women in real-world clinical settings. More broadly, from a diversity perspective, we believe that peer workers are one of the critical elements in the fight against discrimination in psychiatry and mental health.

Psychiatric disorders in women hospitalized at the arrazi psychiatric hospital

IntroductionWomen get hospitalized for various serious mental disorders that are gender specific, half of them married with children, the other half single\divorced women stigmatized and marginalized in our society.ObjectivesThe aim of this study is to describe mentally ill women admitted into the psychiatric hospital, socio demographically and clinically, highlighting differences, specificities and multiple roles distress deviate with the course of disorder.MethodsThis is a prospective cross-sectional study involving 50 patients admitted to Ar-razi Psychiatric HospitalResultsThe average age is 39years, 41% of them are single, with a low educational level (primary school). 77% of our women are from the urban region, 59% are jobless. 19% of patients in our study have positive family history, 65% of them suffered from schizophrenia. 65% of patients are admitted for schizophrenia, followed by bipolar I disorder 22%, MDD is only represented by 10%. 25% of inpatients deal with a toxic habit, 18,5% abuse nicotine and only one woman have tried quitting. Suicide attempts are closely linked to major depressive episodes of MDD and BID, in patients were already under a combination of antidepressants and anxiolytics for at least 3 months. Psychotic features are observed in most of admitted disorders, 80% in BIP and 64% in MDD. According to HAMILTON-DEPRESSION 62,9% of women are admitted for a severe depressive episode, 30% present anxiety comorbidity and a history of CBT sessions months prior hospitalization.ConclusionsShading the light into admitted women in psychiatry and deciphering specific demographic, clinical and therapeutic features may improve the global care system and women’s adherence to treatment and follow up.Disclosure of InterestNone Declared

Women in psychiatry and women's mental health

Women are increasingly well represented in psychiatry as a profession, but data show us that it is not a level playing field. Written by the Chairs of the Women and Mental Health Special Interest Group (WMHSIG) of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, this article explores the work of the group in raising the profile of women's mental health issues and advancing future opportunities for leadership visibility in the profession of psychiatry.

Gender Bias, Discrimination Common in Academic Psychiatry

Gender Bias, Discrimination Common in Academic Psychiatry

The invisible woman: Susan Carnegie and Montrose Lunatic Asylum.

In 1779, Susan Carnegie (1743-1821) persuaded the Town Council of Montrose, Scotland, to build a safe haven for those suffering from both poverty and mental illness. As a result, Montrose Lunatic Asylum became not only the first public asylum in Scotland, but among the first in the English-speaking world. Carnegie - born 175 years before women could vote - championed a humane and science-based response to mental illness. Montrose Asylum practised moral treatment a decade before Tuke and Pinel. As a champion of the new mental science, her enduring influence resulted in the hiring of the young W.A.F. Browne. Her story enriches the current wave of scholarship on Scottish psychiatry in particular, and on women in psychiatry in general.

(F)ailing women in psychiatry: lessons from a painful past.

In August 2017, data released by the US National Center for Health Statistics, a government agency affiliated with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, made the evening news, igniting an urgent conversation about women’s mental health. The data, spanning 1975 to 2015, showed that

Mary Barkas at the Maudsley: 1923-1927.

The Maudsley Hospital, reopened in January 1923, became the centre of British psychiatric research and achieved a world-wide reputation. At a time when women were rare in psychiatry, New Zealand-born Mary Barkas was the only woman (and psychoanalyst) among the first four psychiatrists appointed. This paper looks at her role in the early years at the Maudsley. The letters she wrote to her father, often on a daily basis, provide a unique insight to the earliest years of the hospital that was to have such an influence on British psychiatry. It is the only insider record we have of this crucial time. Barkas demonstrated her versatility in psychiatry and child psychiatry. She used psychoanalysis to treat her patients, receiving recognition from her colleagues. Her work in this field proved to be an exception as analysis was not practiced after she left the Maudsley. Her problem was the institutionalised prejudice against women in psychiatry, which caused her to leave. Her career was terminated at an early stage and her life took a puzzling turn after she returned to New Zealand in 1933. We can remember Mary Barkas as a forgotten psychiatric pioneer whose life and work deserves to be more widely known and recognised.

The current status of women in psychiatry in Europe

For more than two decades, psychiatry has retained its position amongst the medical specialties with the highest proportion of women entering residency programs. The percentage of women in junior academic positions in psychiatry is also high and consistently higher than that of men. However, the number of women in positions of leadership remains disproportionally low at around 5% with no evidence of improvement over time. The phenomenon of female under-representation is not unique to psychiatry or academia. Women are under-represented in all fields of leadership and this is a matter of wider societal concern. In this presentation, I will discuss external and internal barriers that women face and detail positive actions that can help women succeed in their careers.Disclosure of interestThe author has edited and co-authored a book on “Women in Academic Psychiatry: A mind to Succeed”

Review of Women in Psychiatry: Personal Perspectives, edited by Donna M. Norris, Geetha Jayaram, and Annelle B. Primm

[Author Affiliation]Meena Ramani. 1 Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, Nassau University Medical Center, East Meadow, New York.Donna Dilmanian. 2 Department of Psychology, Long Island University, Post Campus, Brookville, New York.ISBN: 978.1.58562.408.9. Arlington, VA, American Psychiatric Publishing, 2012, 345 pages.Address correspondence to: Meena Ramani, MD, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, Nassau University Medical Center, 2201 Hempstead Turnpike, East Meadow, NY 11554, E-mail: drmeenaramani@gmail.comArecent study by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) (Association of American Medical Colleges 2010) indicates that the number of women applicants at accredited United States medical schools peaked from 10% in 1965 to 51% in 2003. In 2010 and 2011, women made up 47% of the applicant pool at accredited United States medical schools. Impressively, in 2008, 49.3% of medical degrees awarded in the United States were awarded to women, representing the largest national class of women medical doctors to date. Women continue to radiate toward specialties in internal medicine, family medicine, pediatrics, obstetrics, and gynecology. The AAMC reports that in 2011, only 6.3% of women residents were in psychiatry. Professionally, women remain grossly underrepresented in the ranks of assistant professor, associate professor, and full professor, as well as in leadership positions such as department chairs and deans.Today, we are living at the crossroads of Sheryl Sandberg's Lean In (Sandberg 2013) and the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008. Both women's empowerment and mental health issues are at the fore of our nation's dialogue, but where are the women psychiatrists? Women in Psychiatry: Personal Perspectives seeks to explore this very issue, and to help empower women at all phases of their training and professional development to become effective psychiatrists during this critical juncture in our cultural history.Women in Psychiatry: Personal Perspectives is a compilation of the stories of 21 women in the field of psychiatry. These women offer details of their personal and professional journeys as they traverse an array of social, cultural, academic, and systemic challenges. They discuss the impact that their identities and backgrounds have had on their training and careers in psychiatry. They address topics including cultural background, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion, marital status, subspecialty, place of employment, and work setting. They share insight into the resources that helped them to shape their paths and overcome obstacles. Most importantly, they contribute to the current cultural dialogue on both gender issues and mental health parity by offering encouragement and support to help women continue to tackle the professional and social challenges that both doctors and patients face in our time.The narratives of Women in Psychiatry address issues at various levels of training and professional development. The authors address the obstacles to deciding on and gaining acceptance to medical school, and the impact of cultural and social biases on women's transition into medical training. The authors discuss how they came to choose psychiatry as a specialty, and address controversies in the medical community surrounding specialization in psychiatry, a topic of utmost importance as we seek to empower psychiatrists of both genders. The authors examine how they came to choose the ways that they would each practice psychiatry: In private practice, hospitals, public administration, organizational and legislative capacities, military settings, and academia.Additionally, the book chronicles the impact of various factors on the professional development of women psychiatrists. The authors discuss the impact of racism, past and present; sexism during training and in professional settings; immigrant status and acculturation; and religious practices and social barriers. …

Women in Psychiatry

Linda L. M. Worley, MD, is Professor of Psychiatry, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, and Adjunct Clinical Professor of Medicine, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN. Marcia L. Verduin, MD, Book Editor

Women in Psychiatry: Personal Perspectives

Women in Psychiatry: Personal Perspectives

Women in psychiatry

Borrowing books was a privilege introduced for women by several academic institutions and libraries in England in the 19th century. Cambridge University accepted women on equal terms with men in 1948. Various objectors before that feared that higher education would have untoward effects on women's bodies and minds. The eminent 19th-century psychiatrist Henry Maudsley was convinced it would make them infertile (Robinson, 2009). Yet women played an important role in the founding of many Islamic educational institutions from the first millennium, and Christian religious orders fostered education for girls and women in Europe before the modern era.

P02-221 - The “gender gap” in authorship of academic psychiatric literature

ObjectiveThe number of women in psychiatry has increased considerably during the past 40 years, but issues of concern persist regarding the advancement of women in academic medicine. The study explores the development of the representation of women among authors of scientific publications.MethodArticles published by three high impact general psychiatric journals - the Archives of General Psychiatry, the American Journal of Psychiatry and the British Journal of Psychiatry - were categorized according to characteristics of psychiatric research with respect to the researchers’ gender. Data were collected for the years 1994 and 2007.ResultsOverall the rate of female authors increased from about one fourth in 1994 to one third in 2007. The highest increases of female authors were found in the most relevant areas for academic career: first authorship, original research articles and publications on neuroimaging and genetics.ConclusionsDespite considerable gains, women still compose a minority of authors of scientific publications in the journals studied. Ongoing effort and interventions are required to promote further advances and gender equity.

Publicity and Professionalism: Madeleine Pelletier (1874–1939) and Constance Pascal (1877–1937)

This article analyses the heretofore under-researched press coverage of the first two women to enter the psychiatric profession in France, Constance Pascal and Madeleine Pelletier. Their personal appearance and feminine, or anti-feminine, styles counted heavily in the publicity they received. Far from being passive recipients of press attention, they sought to utilise the media to further their political and professional goals. Both were committed feminists, but whereas Pelletier threw her energies into feminist and socialist campaigns, Pascal, mindful of her professional standing, avoided direct feminist campaigning, seeking to improve the treatment of women psychiatric patients and to advance the cause of women in psychiatry. An analysis of their relationship with the media throws a telling light on French cultural norms, revealing how an emphasis on domestic ideology could be coupled with admiration for women ‘firsts’ in the professions. This case study traces how Pelletier and Pascal employed their media strategies to negotiate the paradoxes of gender in the public sphere.

Women in psychiatry: A view from the Indian subcontinent

Background:Psychiatry has not been a preferred medical specialty for women in the Indian subcontinent unlike in the Western countries like USA, Canada or UK. Recent years have seen an increase in the number of women doctors in India choosing psychiatry as career.Materials and Methods:Information on women in psychiatry in the Indian subcontinent was collected using resources like PubMed, directories of the professional societies, websites of medical institues, souvenirs and scientific programme of various conferences and personal communication with psychiatrists, and the data about postgraduate trainees available with the authors' own institute.Results:Women psychiatrists constitute about 15% of total psychiatrists in India, out of whom only 10% are at a relatively senior level, and the most are young. The women psychiatrists are also in faculty positions in a number of medical schools and have held important positions in the Indian Psychiatric Society at different times.Conclusions:Most of the women psychiatrists appear to be still at junior levels, having joined the profession relatively recently as compared to their male counterparts. The trend at increasing number of women psychiatrists in the Indian subcontinent is similar to the worldwide trends.

When Our Voice Is Raised, Treatment and Science Benefit

Back to table of contents Previous article Next article From the PresidentFull AccessWhen Our Voice Is Raised, Treatment and Science BenefitCarolyn Robinowitz, M.D.Carolyn RobinowitzSearch for more papers by this author, M.D.Published Online:15 Feb 2008https://doi.org/10.1176/pn.43.4.0003The theme for our 2008 annual meeting, “Our Voice in Action: Advancing Science, Care, and the Profession,” is also the theme for my presidential year. Its focus is a combination of advocacy and professionalism and how their interaction strengthens our profession and patient care.©Sylvia Johnson Photography 2007“Our Voice in Action” reflects the importance of communication—of psychiatry speaking with one strong voice. Yes, psychiatrists are a diverse group of individuals with many differences in how we work, but we agree on the importance of nondiscriminatory access to appropriate care and the need to eliminate stigma and misconceptions regarding psychiatric disorders and their treatment. Concentrating on our priorities allows us to use our resources most effectively. To accomplish these goals, we must be active advocates for psychiatry, informing the public that mental illnesses are real and can be diagnosed accurately, that there are effective treatments that are also cost-effective. Additionally, our national advocacy efforts support vital funding for the major government entities addressing research and clinical care—the National Institutes of Health, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the military, the VA, and other agencies—as well as issues of access and reimbursement in Medicare and Medicaid.Even the best communication and advocacy cannot be successful without substance. Thus, the second part of my theme addresses the importance of science and care. As professionals, we have both a privilege and obligation constantly to improve our knowledge and skills. This issue of Psychiatric News highlights some of the exciting opportunities for professional development at our annual meeting.Our field continues to expand with increased understanding of the links between mind and brain, genetics and environment, and of the impact of treatments. The annual meeting provides a venue for psychiatrists from all over the world to learn about the most up-to-date science and its relationship to patient care. The National Institute of Mental Health has developed an extensive track of presentations addressing scientific discoveries and their translation from “bench to bedside” (see” Original article: NIMH Explains How Research Is Poised to Alter Practice“).There are similar sessions addressing our expanding understanding of addiction psychiatry. Additionally, two presidential symposia will focus on the integration of these findings with psychodynamic understanding. Drs. Glen Gabbard and Charlie Nemeroff will lead a presentation titled “The Myth of the Med Check,” addressing the interaction of psychosocial and biological issues in treatment. Dr. Joe Merlino will chair the session“ Today's Dynamic Psychotherapy: Not Your Grandparents' Psychoanalysis.” Additional presidential symposia will focus on women in psychiatry and on international issues in policy and care.Several sessions will focus on aspects of veterans' care. A special presidential institute developed by the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry addresses practical pediatric psychopharmacology for general psychiatrists as well as for primary care physicians. Dr. Oliver Sacks, world-renowned neurologist and author, will be our Convocation speaker (see facing page).In addition to lectures by outstanding scholars and clinicians, several formats will provide more focused and interactive experiences. Half- and full-day courses offer an opportunity for more intensive learning. Limited-attendance discussion groups and case conferences address clinical issues; workshops and symposia focus on administrative and policy concerns as well as specific and subspecialty clinical topics; all are aimed at providing a “meeting within a meeting” experience. “MindGames” is a Jeopardy-like contest for residents, garnering enthusiasm of attendees at all levels (see” Original article: Another Round of MindGames Planned for 2008 Meeting“).There is time for fun and entertainment, as well as learning and advocacy. As this issue of Psychiatric News shows you, my hometown—Washington, D.C.—is an exciting city with a major interest in politics, but it is also an international city with embassies, music, theater, art, world-class museums (many without charge), a zoo, monuments, parks, and major-league baseball. The new state-of-the-art convention center is surrounded by a revitalized downtown area and wonderful restaurants. May weather is pleasant, with budding flowers and trees easily seen during a walk, drive, or pedal-boat ride.Come and join colleagues; bring your voice to action in advancing our profession! ▪ ISSUES NewArchived

We've Come a Long Way

Back to table of contents Previous article Next article Letters to the EditorFull AccessWe've Come a Long WayJames Alan Margolis, M.D.James Alan MargolisSearch for more papers by this author, M.D.Published Online:2 Nov 2007https://doi.org/10.1176/pn.42.21.0021aI enjoyed Dr. Carolyn Robinowitz's article on women in psychiatry in her president's column in the September 21 issue. My experience parallels hers—my medical school class—University of Washington, class of 1964—had about five women and 70 men. We had one or two women in our intern group in medicine and pediatrics at Syracuse, general psychiatric residency in Rochester, N.Y., and child fellowship at Yale.I have been teaching at the University of California Davis Medical School since I arrived in the area in the early 1970s. Women have been well represented in this medical school and achieved majority status at least 10 years ago. Recently, I have been teaching a doctoring class to second-year medical students. My current class has six women and two men, and of course my goal is to make them all child psychiatrists.Sacramento, Calif. ISSUES NewArchived

Women in Psychiatry: ten years of a special interest group

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Women and Academic Psychiatry

This special issue of Academic Psychiatry provides an excellent and varied series of articles that celebrate the richness of women in psychiatry and highlight many of the challenges facing female psychiatrists in academia. The articles include surveys of female psychiatrists’ activities (1–3), reviews of the issues facing women in medicine and psychiatry during training and throughout their careers (4–7), and descriptions of the personal journeys of three academic psychiatrists with different backgrounds (8– 10). Since women now constitute approximately 46% of U.S. medical students and more than 50% of psychiatry residents, a better understanding of the issues and career paths of women in medicine and psychiatry is vital for those responsible for training physicians and structuring academic and medical care systems if we are to realize the full potential of women in our field. Psychiatry, pediatrics, and, more recently, obstetrics/gynecology have been the specialties most frequently chosen by female physicians due to the patient populations these specialties serve and the skill sets they require. In addition, many women choose psychiatry because it can be better time-defined than most other specialties and less intrusive to the rest of the practitioner’s life, therefore making its practice more compatible with parenting and other family roles. Although not overly-abundant, psychiatry has visible female leaders and role models, with several women having served as presidents of major psychiatric organizations and female psychiatrists holding prominent practice roles in the community. Today, female psychiatrists are more likely to enter academic careers than they were in the past but less likely than men to remain in academia or rise to the highest ranks. As a result, female psychiatrist role models at the highest academic ranks are sparse, and most Chairs and departmental leaders are still men. Many senior female psychiatrist role models are master clinicians and therapists, often serving as parttime or clinical faculty rather than full-time academics. Some suggest that this is a cohort effect that will change as more women enter our field and that women will eventually rise to academic and organizational leadership roles proportionate with their numbers. However, I believe that this prediction is unlikely, as women have a harder path than men in medicine and psychiatry because of both societal and professional cultural expectations. Our society continues to expect women to be primarily responsible for child and family care giving and the maintenance of the home, an issue, noted in one of the articles (9), that is even more significant in certain subcultures and for some international medical graduates. With the increasing number of dual career families, one member, usually the man, is expected to work full-time and earn the majority of the family income, while the other, usually the woman, is expected to decelerate her career and if necessary work only part-time in order to allow for time to take care of the children and the home. The training and junior faculty years coincide biologically with the usual time for child bearing and child rearing, resulting in female physicians with children being unable, and often unwilling, to devote full-time to a career that conflicts with their concurrent family responsibilities. This puts them out of step with the usual academic expectation that junior faculty are to devote full-time attention to their careers and establish a track record of productivity if they wish to be successful. In addition, postresidency research training, in either a formal fellowship or as a member of an ongoing research group, is often required for a physi