For years I have watched friends and others around me struggle with mental illness and suicide. I find it particularly interesting when we see successful women, such as Kate Spade, suffering from depression and killing themselves. While more men die from suicide than women, the suicide rate in the United States is rising and the rate at which women commit suicide is increasing faster than that for men. The rate is specifically increasing among middle-aged women, a phenomenon that has yet to be explained. Theories surround that individuals commit suicide when they are overwhelmed, and middle-aged women are very likely to feel overwhelmed, specifically as single-mother households are also increasing.
Part of what inspired conversation about this topic was the death of designer Kate Spade in June. Spade had long suffered from depression and bipolar disorder, which was worsened by her fame, making her less capable of caring for her mental health. Spade avoided seeking treatment in order to maintain the image and success of her brand. She turned to alcohol to self-medicate and try to cope with her illnesses. Spade had recently separated from her husband and had a 13-year old daughter.
Spade is one of the most recent in a long line of successful middle-aged women who have ended their own lives. One asks why this is the case. This age group of women was arguably the first to enter their adult and professional lives at a time when women were told they could "have it all". These women fought hard for success in their careers, obtaining leadership positions never before held by women. These women also faced the challenge of maintaining their personal lives, families, and homes, while being successful professionally. For the first time, women had to meet the ideal of perfect wife and mother while fighting for equal opportunity in the workplace. That is enough pressure to make anyone feel overwhelmed and hopeless.
Scientifically speaking, menopause can often be associated with a higher likelihood of depression. Often, middle-aged women will experience depression caused by traumatic events earlier in their lives, even though their mental health only severely deteriorates once they hit menopausal symptoms. One component of depression associated with menopause is the appearance expectations for women of all ages. Women growing older is considered unacceptable, as women continue to be valued for their beauty and body. There is an ideal appearance that women are expected to meet for their entire lives, and the psychological effects can be damaging when women can no longer look the part. Not only do women face beauty insecurities, but age discrimination in the workplace is worse for women than it is for men.
So how do we start about stopping the increase in women committing suicide? How do we create an environment where women can thrive at all ages? Hopefully, as generations of women grow up and battle the expectations of being a mother and successful career-women, double-standards and discrimination can start to slip away.
