"Beyond Biology: Understanding Women's Mental Health Through a Holistic Nursing Lens"

Abstract: Women’s mental health is a critical yet often under-recognized component of global health care. Biological differences, reproductive transitions, psychosocial stressors, gender-based violence, and sociocultural expectations place women at a higher risk for certain mental health disorders across the lifespan. Nurses, as frontline health care providers, play a pivotal role in identifying mental health concerns, delivering holistic care, advocating for women’s mental well-being, and reducing stigma associated with mental illness. This review article explores major mental health issues affecting women, including depression, anxiety disorders, perinatal mental health problems, trauma-related disorders, eating disorders, and severe mental illnesses. It also examines the sociocultural determinants influencing women’s mental health and highlights nursing assessment, intervention strategies, health promotion, and advocacy roles. By emphasizing a gender-sensitive and woman-centered nursing approach, this article underscores the importance of integrating mental health care into all levels of nursing practice to improve outcomes for women globally.