How Depression Affects Men

Men are less likely to seek help for depression because in countless societies, men are looked down upon for showing emotion. Untreated depression can then easily lead to suicidal thoughts and eventually suicidal behavior. Men throughout the world carry the burden of concealing their weaknesses from those around them for

The Problem Of Depression in Men Depression is a physical illness as well as a psychological one. It makes you feel bad physically, but the problems start with your emotions. Do not expect yourself to "snap out of it." It will take time to treat depression. A mental health provider skilled in cognitive therapy may help you feel better. You may need a medication. There are many new medications that have few side effects and work well for most people. Many times, a combination of medication and therapy can help you get well quickly and stay well.  There are different types of depression: Major Depression It is an illness many doctors believe is related to an imbalance of a natural chemical in the body called serotonin. It can be triggered

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 8% of persons over the age of twelve reports being currently depressed, this includes 6% of the male population (2014). This literature also reports males aged forty to fifty-nine having higher rates of depression (7%), when compared to males sixty years or older (5%) (2014). In 2010 there were 63.3 million visits to primary care physicians, hospital outpatient units and emergency rooms attributed to mental health diagnosis (CDC, 2014). In the same year, there were 395,000 psychiatric inpatient discharges with major depressive disorder as the primary diagnosis. These individuals had an average stay of six and a half days (CDC, 2014). Inpatient and outpatient treatment is seemingly a revolving door. One article examines the growing number of people being diagnosed with depression, yet the declining number of people seeking outpatient care. This article reports 2.88 out of 100 people seek outpatient treatment for their depression (ScienceDaily, 2010). It is imperative for practitioners of group practice to understand that men and women experience depression differently and to then formulate treatment based on the individual’s unique needs (NIH, 2014).

This may be due to the negative stigma attached to depression. Twenty-seven percent of Canadians admitted to being afraid of being around someone who suffers from a mental illness (Centre for Mental Health and Addiction, 2012). In addition, one third of individuals suffering from depression are forced to resign once it is known that they had a mental illness. The likelihood of women experiencing depression is two times that of men. Moreover, statistics indicate that they are one and a half times more prone to being hospitalized due to depression (Mood Disorders Society of Canada,2009).

Studies have shown that men have searched for help with depression just as well as women. However, it’s less likely for men to seek help because women are more vulnerable to depression. From younger years’ boys are taught to avoid revealing their emotions because it might threaten their social rank and their sense of identity. Men have the idea if they ask for any type of help they will lose their masculine touch. Men are more likely to help others rather than help themselves.

The female population makes up the other half of the entire human race, how depression affects them should not be glazed over. He touches on the topic very briefly, and makes valid points but not enough to capture all of the knowledge. “And urban North American women, the most affluent demographic of the study, were the most likely to experience depression” (Junger, 20). While he does touch on the topic, this is one of the few quotes that focuses on women and depression in North America, not even regarding that this applies to women in most societies as well. Kastrup wrote an article called Cultural Aspects of Depression: “It is well documented that women run a greater risk in most cultures: overall, women have a 1.5-2 times greater risk of suffering from depression compared with men. In the Cross-National Collaborative Group, women in all countries had a higher prevalence with a female:male ratio varying from 1.6 in Lebanon to 3.1 in West Germany.” Again, Junger did include a brief mention of women, but narrowed it down to North American women, when it clearly expands to other

Women are diagnosed with depression twice as much as men. Often stereotyped as being more emotional than men, women are thus more vulnerable to depression. Emotions are taught and influenced and develop early on in life. The definition of depression varies with common factors in all being consist of time, severity of the emotion being felt/expressed along with consistency. A valid definition of depression would be: a feeling of hopelessness and/or sadness or little self worth. This is shown with a lack of interest in everyday activities and/or relationships and is consistent for several or more weeks. There have also been studies done of seasonal depression in certain areas.

society and stimulus” (Gilman) Where as in today’s society is more knowledgeable and is actively looking for solutions to the detection and assistance of getting needed help to the affected while eliminating isolation treatment of the woman experiencing the illness. Current society also does not shame a woman dealing with this illness is not a minority “Depression impairs approximately 7.5 million parents in the United States each year”.(Smith) Which is a huge part of the American population. Another reason of increased treatment is due to studies have shown “If untreated, depression can persist for years [10, 11]. Parental depression is associated with negative child health impacts extending into adulthood [9, 12]”.(Smith)

There are many reasons that may lead a person into a state of depression and some of these issues may not be able to be fixed unless you seek professional help and assistance. Reasons causing depression can be biological, cognitive, gender, medications, genetics and situational issues. The issue that may cause biological depression can be caused from a person having to many or not enough brain chemicals that are referred to as neurotransmitters. Cognitive issues causing depression typically steam from a person having negative thoughts or low self esteem toward them. These issues may also lead them to assume other people think the same way about them. Gender issues that may cause depression for women throughout their lives may steam from the hormonal changes during menstruation, pregnancy, childbirth and menopause. One thing that is still unclear is if women develop depression issues at twice the rate of men. Issues that can be caused from medications may be caused by side effects of the medication or your body does not process the drug the way it is intended to be processed. Genetic depression puts you at a higher risk for having the same illness as family

The first way to help someone suffering with depression is to recognize when a person might be depressed. People may not realize it, but gender stereotypes can play a large role in people 's views of depression. Although women are more likely to get depression, many seem to think that depression is just 'a woman 's disease '. However, that 's not the case, anybody can be affected. "Major depressive disorder is one of the most common mental disorders in the United States. Each year about 6.7% of U.S adults experience major depressive disorder." (Depression) Stereotypes can play a huge role in not noticing depression as a factor for severe mood change in men. A new study suggests that both genders are less likely to view men as being depressed and in need of help from professionals, even if the symptoms are identical to a woman 's. "It’s a well-known fact that men and women who behave the same way in the exact same situation—whether it’s a job interview, a

The connection between gender and psychological disorders seems to be hard to ignore and yet today we still lack the distinct research and treatment necessary to resolve the epidemic of psychological disorders in women. Women are twice as likely to suffer from anxiety disorders than men, a study showed 10% of mothers obtain a mental health problem during motherhood while only 6% of fathers experience these issues (“Mental Health Statistics: Men and Women.") and women predominate over men in rates of major depression (Astbury, Cabral). The gap in between men and women experiencing these mental health problems seems to be clear but we have to ask ourselves, why? We often associate mental health issues with individual

The article that I read was called “Depression, and Women.” This article by Doctor Terri Apter describes the connection between women and depression. Doctor Apter goes over certain things pertaining to the topic that she discovered when she was researching it. Apter even spoke about the writer Allison Pearson and her novel about a character with depression. Later on in the article, Apter compared one of the lines in the book to the symptoms of depression. Those symptoms were lack of energy and a feeling of emptiness. She also used statistics from the National Institute of Mental Health, or the NIMH, to back up her statement, which was that women are more likely to experience depression within their lives. Considering the article is about depression,

It is not easy to diagnose depression. Diagnosing depression is difficult because not all signs can be visibly seen straight away. The clinical depression disorder is the kind of depression that is experienced for weeks or even months or years. Depression sufferers usually see things differently than most people as they start having a negative attitude. The actual cause for depression is still unknown. There’s a set of standards that psychologists and psychiatrists use to diagnose depression and they are set by the American Psychiatric Association. In fact, there are a lot of depression signs and it affects both men and women in different ways than people know. One can feel weary or don’t have energy whenever he or she is suffering with depression

There are many causes of depression. It can be from interpersonal problems (poor social skills, getting bullied), developmental issues (childhood abuse, family issues), personality causes (irrational concerns, depressive thinking), biological factors (changes in brain chemistry, genes), and religious reasons. For treatment preferences, women tend to accept treatment more and would prefer counseling as compared to men. Those who had a better knowledge of what counseling is like would prefer counseling over medication.

Men and women are biologically similar in regards to the hormones and chemicals involved with depression. However socially, each gender encounters different social afflictions that can often lead them into depressive states. In this essay, we will explore the common struggles that each gender experiences and how these realities effect their contrasting developments of depression.