Any person can conceivably have depression, and there’s no group or category of people who are immune to becoming depressed. At some point it may have been generally believed that males didn’t become depressed, but this notion is certainly false. In the United States, it’s believed that at least six million men are depressive. While the idea that women become depressed and men don’t is wrong, there is typically a difference in the way men and women express and deal with depression.
As a rule, a depressive condition typically doesn’t receive treatment. There are a number of potential reasons for this. Depression may still be a poorly understood condition, and thus people typically don’t know when depression is occurring. Lack of access could be a factor: insurance companies often limit access to mental health care.
The notion that depression is the same as insanity or mental weakness still exists today, and thinking like this may hold particular sway with men. Males often feel a sense of obligation to be strong and unshakable under all circumstances, and the thought of failing at this will often cause men to feel a sense of shame and even self-loathing. So instead of coming up short as a man, the typical male may opt to suffer.
Though men may often choose suffering over help in cases of depression, their suffering is rarely if ever silent. The effects of depression will always eventually get expressed, something that’s true for men and women equally. When a male vents his depressive feelings, the outcome can be quite destructive. Men tend to turn to the old standby of alcohol, and possibly narcotics as well, as coping methods for emotional difficulties. The problem with using drugs or alcohol for coping is that addiction can develop, and men are more likely to report addiction problems than women are.
Men with depression can also become habitually angry, possibly because of frustration from feeling poorly and not knowing how to cope with it. When this sort of depressive anger appears, the people closest to the depressed male often feel it most. In extreme cases, depressive anger can lead to acts of violence.
The reasoning then of depressed males who believe they’re better served by attempting to cope rather than seeking intervention is poor logic at best. A depressive condition that goes untreated often produces negative results, with loved ones often being hurt in the process. Depression with treatment leads to the restoration of good health in a timely manner. The better choice is obvious.
