Program Looks At The Inner Woman

WESTPORT — “Hormonal, cultural, and physical influences all impact a female’s psyche,” says Stewart Levine, MD, clinical director at Hall-Brooke, and vice chairman of the Department of Psychiatry, St Vincent’s Health Center in Bridgeport, “and woman face emotional and mental challenges which usually are quite different from those faced by men.”

Dr Levine will discuss stress factors unique to females, and ways to deal successfully with them, in his talk “Women’s Mental Health Through the Life Cycle” at 7 to 9 pm, Wednesday, April 13, at the Westport Women’s Club, 44 Imperial Avenue.

The talk, followed by a question and answer period, is open to the public. There is no admission charge. Reservations are not required, but seating is limited, so it is advisable to guarantee a place by calling Pat Forcier at 203-221-8801.

“Women often respond to treatment for mental health issues better than men,” Dr Levine notes, “because they are able to discuss their situations freely with others and to share with others. Men are more guarded and often resistant to sharing, which they equate to weakness.”

Prior to joining Hall-Brooke and St Vincent’s, Dr Levine was chief of inpatient psychiatric services and unit chief for adult and adolescents at Beth Israel Medical Center, New York City, where in 1998, he was given the Max Needleman Award for Excellence in Teaching.

Hall-Brooke is a wholly-owned subsidiary of St Vincent’s Health Services of Bridgeport and is affiliated with the psychiatric department of Columbia University’s College of Physicians and Surgeons.