This section includes resources and downloads, specifically for females (across the lifespan). Please check out additional downloads and many other formal websites in other specific areas on the website. Thanks!
It’s important to discuss specialized care and it’s not personal, just like some things affect different races or backgrounds more than others, it’s the same issue with gender care. We are just now understanding the brain, there are still many unknowns, and unfortunately, there are many other cases recently affecting women related to mental health:
- Suicide Risk During Pregnancy, After Childbirth on the Rise -University of Michigan
- Texas losing $2.2 billion by not treating mothers’ mental health, report says -Austin American Statesman
- And the whole situation with Lindsay Clancy is truly tragic
Another issue is because of the cultural/political views, women’s voices are being silenced, deleted, bullied… etc., and it truly is intimidating that even looking at the modern major resources, women are still being ignored. What really also inspired this section was when my patient, postpartum of 1 week, told me she was seeing a provider via telehealth and could see her in the video, “through her glasses” googling what med to give… and prescribed something super sedating… I told her please don’t start it!.. And she didn’t, but how scary! I just read a story about a woman being sentenced for giving her toddler Benadryl and he drowned in the tub… I couldn’t possibly imagine a week-old baby being sedated, but I’m giving this background story and I’m sure there are many other incidents, but hopefully, maybe it’ll make others stop trying to shut women down and listen to their worries…
Young Girls
There’s little information specifically for girls.. typically speaking, kids are lumped all together but was able to find a few websites:
- The Center for Young Women’s Health (CYWH) is a partnership between the Division of Adolescent/Young Adult Medicine and the Division of Gynecology, at Boston Children’s Hospital. The Center is an educational entity that is committed to providing adolescents and young people with carefully researched health information, educational programs, and community spaces.
- Girlshealth.gov: offers girls helpful information on health and well-being. Covering hundreds of topics, from getting your period to stopping bullies, to getting fit…Girlshealth.gov is committed to empowering girls to create strong, positive relationships and happy, healthy futures.
- Organizations that Advocate for Girls: Girls Inc. (discuss mental development and educational topics) and Girls Health Period are committed to helping others have access to feminine products.
Teens
Again, limited information specifically for females and teenagers is also basically put in one box, which is somewhat lazy but here are some topics that are focused on common issues:
- About PCOS by AAP: information about polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), which frequently affects females around this time, and the condition and treatment can also affect mental health. PCOS videos by UCLA Health
- Girls Health and Justice: dealing with the juvenile/court system and resources for teens.
- Endometriosis: an unknown condition that has an onset occurring at a young age, but affects any female that menstruates. In contrast, fibromyalgia is another unknown but usually occurs around middle age… and both conditions and treatment can be debilitating and/or negatively affect mental health.
- Teen Health by Healthy Women
- Unplanned/Teenage Pregnancy: information, calculators, and resources to assist unplanned pregnancies by American Pregnancy.org
Adults
I’ve covered a couple of female topics and decided to put it mainly in one area… for convenience, but mainly how women are usually dealing with multiple issues at once. I also created this section to advocate more for women’s health and have an area for more resources and downloads together (at the bottom):
Topics Covered Here About Women
- Menopause Management
- PMDD & PMS, PME Care
- Pregnancy and Mental Health
- Woman Shared a Guide for Getting Out of an Abusive Relationship
Additional Websites for Women and General Care:
- The Center for Women’s Mental Health at Massachusetts General Hospital provides state-of-the-art evaluation and treatment of psychiatric disorders associated with female reproductive function including premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), pregnancy-associated mood disturbance, postpartum psychiatric illness, and peri- and post-menopausal depression.
- Depression Among Women: This Centers for Disease Control and Prevention webpage provides information about depression among women, including risk factors for depression, and postpartum depression.
- Female Reproductive System by NIH… and many other OB/female-specific conditions by UC Health
- National Maternal Mental Health Hotline: This hotline offers free, confidential mental health support for moms and their families before, during, and after pregnancy. Call or text 1-833-TLC-MAMA (1-833-852-6262) to connect with counselors 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. English- and Spanish-speaking counselors are available.
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office on Women’s Health (OWH) and Women’s Health by WHO because America is home to many cultures and it’s important to know how women are affected globally.
- Women’s Health: The National Library of Medicine’s MedlinePlus offers resources on the unique health issues women experience (en español).
