Psychology and psychopathology in women: a psychoanalytic perspective

Article Abstract:

The long-term refusal to accept the existence of peculiarly female perversions is thought to be related to sexual and social politics of power based on the inability of society to view women as complete human beings because they lack a penis. It is felt that exclusion from power structures has led to perversions in motherhood, when women who feel weak and not in control strive to exert power over their children. The argument is made that perversion in motherhood occurs when mothers feel unable to deal with emotional and physical demands from babies, while simultaneously feeling impotent and unable to obtain self-gratification. Emotional instability in women is viewed as the result of both political and familial deprivation involving at least three generations. Good mothering is not easy, since mothers are the children and grandchildren of women who suffered their own traumas and sense of impotence. Two basic types of mothers are described. One is the 'regulator' mother, who expects the baby to adapt to her own needs. The other is the 'facilitator' mother, who adapts to her child's needs. Facilitator mothers with psychological problems thrive on their infant's dependency and due to their dyadic exclusive intimacy they are likely to bring up transvestite, fetishistic and transsexual boys. Regulator mothers with psychological problems are thought to be more likely to have battered children. Adolescent girls who are not supported by mothers in their sense of femininity and who have fathers who are dismissive, critical and denigrating, can feel devastated. This is often expressed in rebelliousness, promiscuity, or a wish for pregnancy to prove their femininity and provide hope for a close dependent relationship. When subjected to sexual abuse, incest and emotional deprivation, girls often become prostitutes. Their depression is thought to be relieved by a need for revenge and elation derived from successful soliciting. Elation is soon replaced by despair and loneliness. While males typically express perversity by sexually attacking and showing hatred towards symbolic sources of their feelings of impotence, women tend to aim perversity against themselves or their own creation - their babies. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Evaluation, Psychotherapy patients, Psychoanalysis, Sexual deviation, Paraphilias, Psychology, Pathological, Psychopathology, Psychoanalysis and feminism, Feminist psychology

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Sex differences in service usage in long-term psychiatric care: Are women adequately served?

Article Abstract:

Psychiatric gender-specific treatment needs have received little research attention. Two studies carried out in a British mental health care service facility indicate that the presumption that mental health services serve both sexes equally is not accurate. In the first study, a one-day census of the patient population was carried out in 1984 and again in 1987. At both times, the patient population was shown to consist of 59 percent men and 41 percent women. However, marked gender differences in service usage were identified. The average approximate length of stay for women was 29 months, while that for men was 23 months. Only 30 percent of women in 1984 and 29 percent in 1987 received a high level of service input, compared with 55 percent of the men in 1984 and 45 percent in 1987. The second study entailed a detailed survey of the relationship between high-contact service and patient rehabilitation as assessed by a multipurpose behavior rating scale for patients with major psychiatric disorders. Test scores were divided into three disability levels (severe, moderate and mild), the mild level indicating a potential for community living. In terms of functioning level, female and male patients who had high contact with psychiatric services proved to be very similar. However, sex differences in the utilization of recreational and skills training classes were vast. A significantly larger number of women used both services to a much higher degree. The workshops predominantly served younger women and provided few activities for elderly women. Theoretically, patients were promoted to higher functional levels through workshop achievements. Despite the higher use of workshops by women, men were overrepresented among those designated as achieving higher levels of functioning. The data indicate that women's psychological needs are not being adequately met and that gender differences in psychiatric rehabilitation and community care require more attention. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Care and treatment, England

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Where do people with long-term mental health problems live?: a comparison of the sexes

Article Abstract:

Recent policies which have led to the closure of psychiatric inpatient institutions have resulted in the development of alternative accommodations for long-term severely mentally ill patients with an emphasis on group living. However, group living can only accommodate those who do not display antisocial or difficult behaviors. As a result, many formerly institutionalized patients are now homeless. The number of homeless women is increasing steadily, yet most alternative housing is only available for men. In order to look at accommodation practices related to gender and level of disability, the hostels, group homes, and a large psychiatric district service center in a South London area were evaluated at different times from 1987 to 1990. In 1990, over 48 percent of hostel accommodations that became available were for men, while only 20.7 percent of the hostels were available for women - the remaining 31 percent accommodated both sexes but housed many more men than women. Despite the focus on group housing, the majority of long-term, severely disabled male and female ex-inpatients were found to be living with families or living alone. A significantly higher proportion of men lived alone or in hostels or group-homes. Women were found to be significantly more likely to live with family members. It is posited that women with both long-term and severe mental disabilities are better than men at forming and sustaining close relationships with families and friends. The suggestion is made that future decisions regarding accommodation of ex-psychiatric inpatients should take into account the patient's own preference, her or his ability to sustain relationships and tolerate social interaction, and the actual availability of practical help. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Social aspects, Usage, Community psychiatric services, Community mental health services, Psychiatric hospital patients, Homeless women

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