By Jed Diamond
"Women seek help?men die." This conclusion was drawn from a recent study of suicide prevention by Professor J. Angst (yes, that really is his name) and C. Ernst. They found that 75 percent of those who sought professional help in an institution for suicide prevention were female. Conversely 75 percent of those who committed suicide in the same year were male.
Since depression is a significant risk factor for suicide and men receive less treatment for depression than do women, it is vitally important that we have a better understanding of the way depression manifests itself in males. This is particularly important for those over the age of 50. The suicide rate for men in their 50s is 400 percent higher than for women of the same age. For men in their 60s it is 500 percent higher. For men in their 70s it is 800 percent higher. And for men over 80 it is 1300 percent higher.
Though suicide is the most tragic outcome of untreated depression, it isn't the only problem. Men and women know only too well how irritability, withdrawal, alcohol consumption and fatigue -- all symptoms of male depression -- can sap the energy out of any relationship. According to the World Health Organization, depression is the leading cause of disability world-wide among people age 5 and older.
This was certainly true for James Early and his wife Rita. "I would become irritable and angry at the drop of a hat," he said. "I'd yell at the kids and it seemed that Rita was always doing things to bug me. It never occurred to me that I might be depressed until my wife insisted that I get an evaluation from a doctor who specializes in men's health issues."That's the only reason why James came to me, a specialist in treating depressed men and their families.Although most major studies have found that women experience depression at twice the rate of males, many clinicians and researchers believe that depression in men is seriously under-diagnosed. Harvard psychologist William Pollack, PhD, is leading the charge against the well-entrenched depression gender gap. Director of the Center for Men at McLean Hospital, Pollack argues that men's rate of depression may be nearly equal to women's.Although men and women sometimes experience depression in the same way, they often exhibit different symptom patterns. Depressed women often become sad and tearful. They "act in" as a result of gender-role conditioning that emphasizes both the expression of feelings and focus on internal judgments of their own inadequacies. Men, on the other hand, "act out" their depression through chronic anger, self-destructiveness and workaholism. Underlying these behaviors are experiences of loss and persistent feelings of hopelessness, helplessness and worthlessness, the hallmarks of depression.
"Their sadness and helplessness are hidden behind a mask of anger," says Pollack. Often, unfortunately, neither doctors nor men themselves recognize that as a red flag.Pollack and others contend that male depression goes unrecognized because, unlike the female version, it often doesn't fit the textbook signs -- at least in the early stages, when it's easiest to intervene. A full-bore clinical depression looks much the same in both sexes. But in the prelude to a breakdown, that deepening despair is often expressed in very different ways. Unlike women, "men don't come in talking about feeling sad or depressed per se," says Sam Cochran, PhD, a psychologist at the University of Iowa and co-author of "Deepening Psychotherapy With Men.""They come in complaining about problems at work or their performance on the job." Instead of being weepy, men are more apt to be irritable and angry -- moods that aren't included in the classic diagnostic tests."In a major study with nearly 30,000 men and reported in my book, "The Irritable Male Syndrome: Understanding and Managing the Four Key Causes of Depression and Aggression," I found the following responses were most common in depressed men:I believe that things are stacked against me and others disappoint me. I have felt gloomy, negative or hopeless. I am more irritable, restless and frustrated. I feel hostile even though I don't always let it show. My feelings are blunted and I often feel numb. I am becoming more withdrawn from family and friends. Learn more about Jed Diamond. Read his bio and blog.Is someone in your family suffering from depression? Get advice and support on our discussion board.From flirting to dating to marriage ... Don't miss our Relationships & Love newsletter.
Source: Health & Wellness
