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Though modern women don't have to contend with the same kind of ignorance, there is still a common perception that the female sex is sadder, or at least more "emotional," than the opposite sex."People talk about how down they feel, how tired they feel, how depressed they feel; that kind of speech is commoner among women than it is among men," says Dr. Shorter.Back in the 60s, feminists like Betty Friedan railed against the pharmaceutical industry's generalization of the "problem that has no name"—her label for the kind of fatigue and feelings of emptiness that many housewives were treating with popular tranquilizers—arguing that women's predisposition to nervous illness had less to do with anxiety and depression than their failure to live fulfilled lives. Herzberg agrees: "If you have a group of people whose life choices you're limiting, they're going to end up less happy, on average."SSRIs are used by at least 25 percent of American women between ages 40-50.
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