Worldwide, the prevalence of clinical depression is about twice as high in women as in men. Kristin Leutwyler's Scientific American article, "Depressions's Double Standard" describes some possible explanations for this sex difference, based on hormonal factors and differences in gender role expectations.
But some researchers believe that the standard explanations cannot completely account for the size of the sex difference in depression. Susan Nolen-Hoeksema has argued that another factor may be a sex difference in personality or cognitive style that leads women to ruminate (think repeatedly) about their negative experiences, thus amplifying their depressed mood, while men tend to suppress these thoughts and thus insulate themselves from depressed moods.
