Gender Medicine: The impact of mental illness on the doctor-patient relationship, using depression as an example.DE

Depression has a wide range of symptoms and is not always easy to recognise. In women in particular, it is often confused with "female" behaviour or biological processes, which is why women are diagnosed and prescribed medication twice as often as men. The healthcare system still has major weaknesses in some areas of diagnosis. In addition, the shortage of young talent in the medical field is leading to an undersupply. It is becoming increasingly difficult for doctors to do justice to individual patients as demand grows, so that there is often very little time for consultations. Much remains to be improved in the diagnosis of depression and in the field of medical care. This paper discusses the current state of research and prospects in this field. It asks what impact the illness and its consequences have on the doctor-patient relationship.