Feminist conceptualizations of women's madness: a review of the literature

Background. Gender is one aspect of an individual's identity that has been widely debated and discussed in relation to many different aspects of socia l life. The literature review explores how gender stereotypes affect women and their experience of mental illness. The aim is to demonstrate how a fem inist perspective provides a useful lens through which women's experience o f mental illness can be viewed. Methods. The papers were identified by a computerized search of the CINAHL, Medline, BIDS ISI and Mental Health Nursing Collection databases and a han d search. All papers were screened and subjected to critical review. Results. A theoretical framework was developed that reflected two key theme s to emerge from the feminist literature on women and mental illness, namel y psychiatry as a method of socially controlling women and the medicalizati on of women's unhappiness. In addition the complexities and contradictions in the feminist arguments are highlighted. Conclusion. The paper concludes by considering the implications of the issu es raised for nursing practice by drawing attention to the current debates on the need to focus on gender relations rather than just on women's issues .