Women in our culture know they are distressed
and they reach out for help. But, men express depression differently. According
to statistic, approximately 25% of all women suffer from depression and about
15% of men – but some researchers question the latter number. Men are less
likely than women to seek mental- health treatment in general. The tendency to
tough it out rather than ask for help is just one of several reasons why
experts believe the oft-quoted statistic are artificially low. Men express
emotional pain differently from women, so their symptoms are not always
recognized and their depression goes undetected. Fortunately, however, when the
condition is recognized, there are many ways it can be successfully treated.
A man couldn’t sleep and had no desire for
sex. He vaguely worried about his loss of libido, but decided that the source
of his problems was chronic sleeplessness. His lack of emotion was such that
even when his marriage ended, he barely seemed to care, his career also ceased
to matter to him.
The problem was not a sleep disorder. While
the outward signs – insomnia, apathy, loss of libido- didn’t match the tearful,
unhappy state that’s often associated with the disorder, his problem was
depression, and it lasted for about five years before a doctor finally
diagnosed and then successfully treated it with anti-depressants.
Most people assume sadness always accompanies
depression. But that’s not necessarily true for men. With men you may see more
of the angry and irritable depression that than the typical sad depression that
we are used to seeing in women. While depressed women tend to cling to sources
of comfort and turn their anger against themselves, depressed men often do the
opposite. They may isolate themselves from family and friends and act
aggressively.
What causes male depression in the first
place? Neurotransmitters, including serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine,
which relay signals from one brain cell to the next, play key roles. If, because
of a genetic abnormality or other cause, neurotransmitter stores are affected,
we may suffer depression or any of a number of other psychological problems. In
some cases of mild depression the causes may be testosterone deficiency which
can bring on classic symptoms such as fatigue, lack of initiative and sexual
difficulties. As with depressed women, a man’s negative life experience – job
loss, rejection in love, can devastate the mood and affect neurotransmitter
flow. You take a perfectly normal person but put him under stress. Alcohol can
boost mood temporarily, which may be why some people with depression drink. But
heavy drinking itself may produce or worsen symptoms of depression. While
alcohol can cause obvious changes in mood and behavior, the effect of nicotine
and some other drugs may be less conspicuous.
Leaving depression untreated can be fatal.
There is a 20% risk of suicide with untreated depression. Men are more likely
than women to choose a lethal method – like shooting themselves, if they are
thinking about suicide. Depression can shorten men’s live in other ways as
well. In depression, the duration and intensity of the mood is much greater
than a passing episode of feeling down. Depression is likely if either of the
above is accompanied by four or more of the ff:
·
Excessive
sleepiness or insomnia
·
Appetite
changes
·
Fatigue,
lethargy or apathy
·
Feelings
of excessive or inappropriate guilt, of worthlessness and of hopelessness
·
Forgetfulness,
indecisiveness or lack of concentration
·
Thoughts
of or attempts at, committing suicide
Call your local hospital or mental health
organization if you need a referral to a licensed mental health professional.
And if someone you care about starts talking about death or suicide, get him to
an emergency room.
In major depression, doctors will usually
prescribe anti-depressants as well, Prozac, Zoloft, and Paxil, to name a few
which work by keeping more of the mood modulating neurotransmitter circulating
within the brain. Another anti-depressant, bupropion (Wellbutrin SR), is also
marketed under the name Zyban for people who want to stop smoking. It seems to
dampen nicotine cravings and moderate nicotine-withdrawal symptoms. For men
whose depression is traced to testosterone deficiency, doctors can prescribe
testosterone – replacement therapy via injections or skin patches similar to
the ones used to replace estrogen in women. Testosterone can stimulate the
growth of a previously undetected prostate cancer and therefore should be
administered of an actual deficiency.
The important thing to remember is that
depression is not a sign of weakness and it’s not just a women’s problem. It’s
an illness, just like heart disease, diabetes and flu. And like other
illnesses, it can be treated. No one has to tough it out alone.
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