Unipolar Depressive Disorders: A Gender-Based Comparative Analysis

Objective. To carry out a comparative analysis of social-demographic and clinical-psychopathological characteristics of male and female patients with depression. Materials and methods. A total of 388 patients with unipolar depressive disorders – 74 men and 314 women – were studied. The study used clinical assessment and psychometric scales to assess depression. Results and conclusions. Gender differences in a number of study indicators were found. Women were older and more frequently suffered from concomitant somatic and organic pathology, while concomitant personality pathology and chronic depression were more frequent among men. The severity of depression in women was greater due to symptoms such as complaints of low mood, anxiety, impaired sleep, appetite, and concentration difficulties, and suicidal thoughts. Apparent sadness was not significantly different in patients of different genders. Anhedonia was more severe in men. © 2022, Springer Nature Switzerland AG.