Depression in Men
Often thought of as just something that women endure, depression in men is all too real; in fact, some studies suggest that as many as six million men in the United States are suffering from depression at any one time. Some researchers suggest that depression may be even more prevalent in men than we know because men may be less likely than their female counterparts to recognize depression or seek help for the condition.
Depression can strike anyone, without regard to age, ethnicity, or socioeconomic status. Unlike just the normal “blues” that every person has been susceptible to from time to time, depression lasts for an extended period of time (at least several weeks) and may worsen as time goes by. Depression can also be a signal of an underlying medical condition.
How Men See Depression
Men may, in fact, fail to acknowledge depression because they do not recognize their symptoms as being caused by depression. Many men describe the physical symptoms that can accompany depression, such as chronic pain, headaches, and digestive problems, without ever considering that they are linked to a mental health problem.
Other men fear being labeled by their family, friends, and coworkers who might discover that they have been diagnosed with a “mental illness” or that being depressed (or considered depressed) might negatively impact their job security or potential for advancement on the job. For these reasons, men see depression differently than women – and may even think that admitting they have a “problem” is a sign of weakness.
When diagnosing depression in men, mental health professionals often report than men are more willing to admit to feelings of fatigue, irritability, sleeping difficulties and loss of interest in things that they once enjoyed than to acknowledge feelings of guilt, worthlessness, or extreme sadness. Additionally, men will oftentimes hide their depression behind alcohol or drug dependency or abuse.
Therefore, diagnosing depression in men can present a challenge to the mental health practitioner – which is of growing concern because men are four times as likely as women to end their lives voluntarily by suicide, oftentimes after battling depression or when their depression goes unchecked and untreated.
Signs of Depression – Men
It is important to note that the signs and symptoms of men’s depression may not be apparent in every man who is depressed, especially since men are more adept at disguising their depression or pretending it doesn’t exist. These symptoms are commonly reported in the depressed man:
- loss of interest or failure to derive pleasure in activities and hobbies that the man once enjoyed
- persistent sadness
- elevated anxiousness
- feelings of “emptiness”
- extreme guilt
- feelings of worthlessness
- feelings of helplessness
- decrease in energy, extreme fatigue, or feeling “rundown”
- difficulty sleeping, waking early in the morning, or sleeping too much
- weight changes – including weight loss or weight gain
- thoughts of suicide or death, attempted suicide
- restlessness
- irritability
- chronic physical pain without cause
Treating Depression – Men
Depression is a treatable and manageable mental illness. Most people who experience depression can improve their condition when they receive the appropriate treatments. The first step to recovering from depression is to be diagnosed correctly by a mental health professional; the man’s family doctor should also examine the man to rule out any other possible cause for the symptoms that he is exhibiting.
A diagnostic review of the symptoms being presented is all that is needed to receive a diagnosis. Treatment for depression usually involves prescription medications for depression as well as psychotherapy to deal with issues that might be contributing to the condition.
