Gender-sensitive mental health care

Objective: The aim of this paper is to examine aspects of mental health and mental health care through a gender lens. Conclusion: Gender differences have an impact on mental health and the experience and course of women s mental illness. Comprehensive gender-sensitive mental health care requires the planning, delivery, monitoring and quality improvement initiatives of mental health care to be informed by a knowledge and understanding of gender differences in women and men and their inter-relationship with respect to childhood and adult life experiences (e.g. violence and abuse); day-to-day social, cultural, and family realities; expression and experience of mental ill health and treatment needs and responses