Male
Depression Symptoms may be Ignored by Most Men
Whether
you are male or female, depression is a serious disease.
In males, depression brings on different symptoms than in
females. While female depression may make a woman feel sad
and emotional, male depression can bring on symptoms of
anger, aggression, hostility, and irritability. Society
often pressures men to ignore the symptoms of male depression.
However, any time that a man suffers from depression, it
is definitely not wise to “tough it out.”
In
addition to becoming miserable, isolated, and withdrawn,
male depression can lead to serious consequences such as
alcohol abuse, drug abuse, risky activities, and suicide.
Other common coping strategies of male depression include
compulsive overwork, reckless driving, risky sexual behavior,
criminal behavior, and shutting oneself off from the outside
world.
Unfortunately,
there is no coping strategy that will cure male depression.
Since many men believe that sadness, hopelessness, and mental
illness are signs of weakness, males will deny or hide their
depression until a tragic event forces them to get help.
Instead of waiting for a disaster, men and their loved ones
can watch for the warning signs of male depression and seek
treatment immediately:
-
Feeling down, sad, worthless, and guilty
-
Sleeping poorly and fatigue
-
Anger and violent behavior
-
Frustration
-
Loss of interest in hobbies, career, sex, and other pleasurable
activities
-
Alcohol and drug abuse
-
Headaches, digestive disorders, and other chronic pain
-
Suicidal thoughts
If
not treated promptly, male depression can also lead to significant
health problems. The chronic stress of male depression is
believed to cause heart disease in some men. Studies have
shown that men who suffer with male depression have double
the risk of dying from any cause, compared to men without
depression. For reasons that are not yet understood, the
risk of death in male depression is greater than the risk
of death in female depression patients.
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