Sex differences in anxiety and depression clinical perspectives

Highlights • We review sex differences in clinical features of depression and anxiety disorders. • A developmental perspective provides the timing of emergence of sex differences in affective disorders. • The impact of puberty, the menstrual cycle, pregnancy and menopause on anxiety and depression disorders is reviewed. • The impact of sex-specific cultural demands and experiences on development of anxiety and depression disorders is examined. • The interaction of stress with development of sex differences is discussed.