Expert warns about the cycles of emotional vulnerability that women go through from puberty to adulthood, and urges us to break the stigma that prevents seeking help in time.
Dr. Marianela Rodríguez, specialist in clinical psychology. Photomontage: MSP Magazine
Within the framework of the 5th Mental Health and Substance Use Symposium held in Isla Verde, Dr. Marianela Rodríguez, specialist in clinical psychology, offered a deep and urgent look at the challenges that women face in each stage of his life, in an exclusive conversation with the magazine Medicina y Salud Pública.
From the arrival of the first menstruation to the challenges of motherhood and relationships, each transition brings with it both obstacles and opportunities that, if not addressed in time, can become chronic mental health conditions.
Dr. Rodríguez explained that it all begins with a transition that many girls face without adequate preparation. “Many times it arrives for the first time without real preparation for what that menstruation means,” she noted. “The girl goes through changes not only biological and hormonal, but also social and identity.”
As the women young man enters his stage reproductive, the challenges multiply: decisions about motherhood, fertility challenges, perinatal losses and the transition to a new role as madre. According to the specialist, this is one of the most vulnerable stages in female mental health.
“There are 20% of women who develop a mental health disorder for the first time in that stage“Dr. Rodríguez warned. “There is a lot of talk about depression postpartum, but there is also the anxiety postpartum, which is often greater and has not been discussed enough.”
Stigma: The biggest enemy of treatment
Table of Contents
One of the most critical points that the specialist addressed was the silence that surrounds the emotional discomfort of mothers. The fear of social judgment and the pressure to appear “good” madre“They lead many women not to seek help, with consequences that go beyond the patient herself.
“The effect that this has is not only on the health of the madrebut in the health of the baby, in that bond, in care, in the health of the couple and in the health of the family,” he stated. “These conditions are highly treatable, but when they are not discussed and treatment is not sought, they can become chronic conditions.”
The invisible mental load
Beyond the postpartum, Dr. Rodríguez pointed out that women carry an unpaid and often invisible responsibility throughout their lives: the emotional and logistical management of the home and family.
“We take care not only of the paid work hours outside the home, but also of that other burden,” he explained. “You have to plan the trip, buy the tickets, remember it, organize care, prepare your suitcases. When we come to see, we have women with a much higher prevalence of emotional disorders than men.”
Added to this is the imposed role of caregiver, which frequently includes taking care not only of the children, but also of one’s own parents and those of the partner. “This imposed caregiver role has a very large effect on mental health and physical health,” she said.
Intimate partner violence: A pattern that does not respect age
The conversation also addressed violence in relationships, a phenomenon that, as Dr. Rodríguez recalled, does not distinguish between young people and adults. Puerto Rico recorded more than 60 femicides last year, a figure he described as “scandalous.”
“Violent relationships that start out bad only get worse if you don’t work on them. And many end in death,” he said firmly. Faced with this, the specialist called for reflection on the accessibility of treatments and safe spaces, especially for women who are mothers.
“The invitation is always to seek help, to continue talking, to know that there are spaces where we can break these cycles of violence.”
Take care of the women is to take care of society
Dr. Rodríguez closed her participation with a message that summarizes the essence of her presentation at the symposium: addressing the mental health of the women It is not an individual matter, but a collective investment.
“When we take care of women and their health, we take care of society, because it has a multiplier effect,” he concluded.
With this vision, the 5th Mental Health and Substance Use Symposium reaffirmed the need to place women’s mental health at the center of public debate, with a focus on prevention, stigma reduction and real access to therapeutic strategies in each stage of life.
