Women and Depression: Recovery and Resistance

Women and Psychology

by Michelle N. Lafrance, Jane M. Ussher (Editor)

"Women and Recovery and Resistance" takes a welcome look at women's experiences of living well after depression. Lafrance argues that the social construction of femininity is dangerous for women's health, and ultimately, central to their experiences of depression. Beginning with a critical examination of the ways in which women's depression is a product of the social, political, and interpersonal realities of their everyday lives, the analysis moves on to explore an often ignored aspect of women's experience - how women manage to 'recover' and be well after depression. The book draws on extensive in-depth interviews with women who have been depressed, as well as on previous research and on analysis of representations of women's health practices in the media.In this way Lafrance critically examines how women negotiate and actively resist hegemonic discourses of femininity in their struggles to recover from depression and be well. Threaded throughout the analysis is the exploration of a variety of subjects related to women's distress and health, negotiating identity; the medicalization of women's misery; women's narratives of resistance; and, the material and discursive context of women's self-care. In exploring the taken-for-granted aspects of women's experiences, Lafrance sheds light on the powerful but often invisible constraints on women's wellbeing, and the multiple and creative ways in which they resist these constraints in their everyday lives. These insights will be of interest to students and scholars of psychology, sociology, women's studies, social work, counseling, and nursing.

Genres: Nonfiction

ebook

First published December 15, 2008

Reviews

[Jasmin Ozolins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Found this quite validating

Speaks to the socialisation of women and the precarious expectations and standards set to the ultimate demise of women’s mental health

First half of depression was more interesting than second half on self care - Super repetitive at times which I don’t think strengthened the study but I guess it’s better than one examples made into a generalisation

I don’t like the word tomboy too idk personal gripe