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Signs of Male Depression

According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), depression affects nearly 6 million men annually. The result of a (NIMH) focus group study revealed that men admitted to having the symptoms of depression but were oblivious to being depressed. In addition, many were ignorant of what the symptoms of depression were.

  1. Types of Depression

    • One of the most common types of depression is major depression, also known as major depressive episode. This type of depression disrupts an individual's ability to work, sleep, eat and enjoy activities he would otherwise find pleasurable. An individual may suffer major depression only once or several times in his lifetime.

      Another common form of depression is bipolar disorder, also known as manic depression. An individual with bipolar demonstrates fluctuating periods of severe "highs" (mania) and "lows" (depression). In between these periods, he displays a normal mood. The mood changes usually appear gradually, instead of suddenly.

    Mania and Depression Symptoms

    • Generally, mania causes excessive happiness, grandiose and over-the-top beliefs, reduced sleep, racing mind, increased libido, significantly high energy, atypical irritability, strange and inappropriate behavior and distorted judgment. An individual plagued by depression usually shows signs of anxiety, sadness, emptiness, hopelessness, negativity, low self-esteem, guilt, helplessness, disrupted sleep pattern, headaches, stomach problems, fatigue and suicidal thoughts.

    Depression in Males

    • Although men and women can display the standard signs of depression (headaches, digestive ailments and severe pain), they experience and cope with it differently. Men are more prone to admitting being tired and irritable than to feeling worthless, hopeless, sad and guilty. When many men become depressed, instead of seeking treatment for their depression, they turn to alcohol or drugs, or may display frustration, anger and violence. In America, men die by suicide at four times the rate of women. Suicide is often linked to depression, and many males do not seek the necessary treatment or diagnosis that could have saved their livee.

    Male Depression in Youths

    • Females age 14 years or older experience major depression at twice the rate as boys in this age group. However, boys face the same risk as girls in developing bipolar disorder, as adolescents and as grown men. A depressed young child may claim to be too ill to go to school, worries that his parents will die and is overly attached to them. As an older child, he may be sulky, easily agitated, have a negative mindset, get into trouble at school or feel like no one understands him.

    Elderly Male Depression

    • As men age, they are forced to deal with a variety of stresses. If a man has been substantially defined by his job and is the breadwinner for his family, as he ages, he may have problems with facing retirement. Losing this role that he has identified with so closely is tough for him. As a result, he may lose his self-esteem. Health issues and loss of family and friends may also cause him to descend into depression. He probably will not voice his emotional feelings of grief and loss, but may complain about the physical symptoms instead.

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