This is the third of 10 articles about unhappiness in contemporary women.

Q: What is the relationship between depression and unhappiness in women?

A: By definition, happiness is a state of contentment and well-being. Unhappiness, therefore, is the absence of contentment or lack of well-being. Depression is defined as the state of feeling sad, gloomy or blue. Depression is a syndrome with many symptoms and an intensity that supersedes the concept of unhappiness and consequently interferes with people's capacities to function.

Investigative reporter Olivia Gordon reported on the results of her study of British women's depression. She found 20 percent of British women were said to be suffering from mental disorders, mainly depression. Experts predict depression will become the second largest health problem by 2010, second only to heart disease. This prediction from the World Health Organization includes both men and women, but women are affected at a much higher rate of depression than men.

There are several factors that merit consideration regarding information about depression. The majority of both British and American general practitioners prescribe antidepressants freely, and most of these prescriptions are written for women. Professor David Healey, director of Psychological Medicine at Cardiff University, believes the reason for such an increase in depression is that stress is misdiagnosed as depression.

Healey also believes women are not as far ahead of men in being labeled depressed as the research says. He believes women are more likely to seek help and thus to self-report depression.

Healey attributes the oversell of depression to the pharmaceutical companies that market antidepressants. He refers to the controlled trials of antidepressants conducted by the American Psychopharmacologic Drugs Advisory Committee on 100,000 people in 2006. One of 10 people improved on antidepressants. Four of 10 people improved on placebos. Five remained unchanged.

Psychologist Dr. Boylis points out that current generations, born since World War I and World War II, believe they are entitled to happiness. Such a value predisposes people to expect life to be joyful, painless and stress-free. These expectations have pushed unhappiness over into the category of depression.

An international study by psychiatrist Myrna Weissman in 1996 documented depression begins in women most often in their early to mid-20s, in all the countries.

Joan Williams, an expert on work-life balance, reports that contrary to popular belief, parents are not the happiest group of women. Children bring on more stress, and mothers report more sadness, loneliness, restlessness, anger and fear than non-mothers. These are symptoms of depression.

Although genetically predisposed chemical imbalance accounts for 20 percent of depression, the other 80 percent is caused by stressful events. These events include poverty, domestic abuse, sexual abuse, marital problems, crises in children's lives and unexpected loss or death. Depression is not related to race, nationality or education, but can be related to age and socio-economic class.

The vast majority of people (75 percent) below the poverty line are women and children. Demographic trends support the increase of family abuse and violence as poverty increases. All these factors contribute to depression.

Author Jayant Row from the mental health field addresses the issue of depression in middle-aged women. He believes the stress of juggling work and family, especially if caring for older relatives, can cause depression. He also believes mid-life evaluation by middle-aged women also might cause depression, if they compare themselves unfavorably to others.

Row postulates two more reasons for depression in middle-aged women. First, the media's continual emphasis on youth and beauty are depressing to women who suffer by comparison. Second, Row cites unhappy marriages that become apparent after children leave home as another cause of depression.

Therapist Dr. Daniela Roher believes societal expectations, coupled with women's responses of unhappiness and feelings of inadequacy, conspire to create depression in women. She believes too much responsibility and too little support keep women from developing self-confidence and satisfaction in their lives.

Women, according to Roher, internalize expectations that are not only unrealistic, but also conflictual. She sees women as turning their own anger and frustration inward, reinforcing feelings of inadequacy, helplessness and failure, which are symptoms of depression.

* Next week's discussion will examine the role of feminism in producing unhappiness in contemporary women.

Judy Caprez is associate professor and director of social work at Fort Hays State University. Send your questions in care of the department of sociology and social work, Rarick Hall, FHSU.