A few years ago, the American obstetrician and gynecologist launched the book The Hurried Woman Syndrome or Accelerated Woman Syndrome, which very quickly became a publishing success. In it, he proposed a new diagnosis for a disease that in his opinion affects 25% of American women between the ages of 25 and 55, and that according to his estimates could have the same prevalence in the West.
This is the Accelerated Woman Syndrome, which according to Bost appears, above all, in young mothers who try to combine professional life with taking care of a home, their partner and children, but which can also affect single women and mothers family members who face multiple obligations on their own, or with little help, that unleash chronic stress.
Accelerated woman syndrome
The cause of the disease lies in accepting as normal a fast-paced lifestyle that leads to certain symptoms that in turn multiply stress , including weight gain, decreased libido or sexual desire, apathy, mood swings , sleep disturbances and digestive dysfunctions.
“Over time, these symptoms lead to a pre-depressive state, not as serious as declared depression, but one that must be watched,” says the gynecologist and also recommends consulting a family doctor to rule out other organic disorders such as anemia, hypothyroidism or some type of infection or metabolic abnormalities.
Once this rigorous procedure has been completed, one can then think of the Accelerated Woman Syndrome proposed by Bost, which despite being relatively new, has the endorsement of other institutions specialized in women’s issues, such as the Center for Women’s Sexual Medicine. The main difficulty with this disorder is that few people recognize it as such and women themselves do not internalize the idea that we are trying so hard that some doctors don’t even consider the problem because they think stress is part of our lives.
Antidepressants and psychological therapy against stress
“Men under stress preferentially elicit a fight response and produce testosterone and that reaction often stimulates increased sexual activity in men. In the same situation, women go into the flight position and produce the hormone oxytocin when stress is chronic, the result is a cascade of organic responses that manifest as Accelerated Woman Syndrome.”
Some find the solution in antidepressants and psychological therapy, but the verbs simplify, organize and prioritize are usually enough. It is about learning to discern between the tasks in which we are essential and in which our guidance is enough for others to take care of.
It is also convenient to make changes in the diet to enrich it with foods that help us restore the lost balance, but the most important transformation is in the cultural and philosophical order, and it is the one that persuades women that it is time to get out of the end of the list of daily priorities and put us right at the beginning.
