Symptoms of Depression in Men and Ways to Address It

Depression is a mood disorder that affects millions of people around the world. Mood disorders affect a person’s emotional state, disrupting how they feel and affecting their thoughts and behavior. Mood disorders affect a person’s well-being and ability to function, and they are often persistent. They often make it hard to regulate your own emotions, and they also impair your cognitive abilities.

When a person is feeling depressed, it’s not something they wish upon themselves, nor can they just shake it off. The resources you would typically use to shake off normal feelings of sadness or a low mood are what mood disorders affect, making it hard to marshal your strength to overcome them. Depression is treatable, and it’s important to know the signs to look out for to get help as quickly as possible.

Symptoms of Depression in Men

People of all ages, socio-economic backgrounds, cultures, and ethnicities can experience depression. Depression isn’t a respecter of persons, and gender does not exempt you from it. More women report experiencing depression than men, but one reason for that is that men will often not report it or seek help when they experience depression. Also, some symptoms of depression in men may be atypical, meaning they can easily be missed.

When a man has depression, it can manifest in unexpected ways. Some of the symptoms of depression in men to be on alert for include the following:

• Fatigue or decreased levels of energy
• Persistent feelings of sadness and emptiness
• Being irritable, easy to get angry, being controlling, aggressive, or abusive
• A loss of interest in activities or hobbies that used to bring joy
• Feelings of helplessness, hopelessness, guilt, and worthlessness
• Changes in appetite, leading to unplanned changes in weight
• Sleep disruptions, leading to difficulties falling and staying asleep, or sleeping too much
• Physical aches and pains that don’t have a clear medical cause or respond to regular treatments
• Losing motivation and a reduction in performance at work
• Withdrawing from family and friends, as well as other social situations
• Becoming overly immersed in work, sport, or gaming to avoid being with loved ones
• Beginning or increasing consumption of substances like drugs or alcohol
• Engaging in reckless or risky behavior such as reckless driving, gambling, and unsafe sex
• Feeling restless
• Having cognitive difficulties like struggling to concentrate, make decisions, or remember things
• Feeling like one’s mind is sluggish
• Having thoughts of death or suicide, and attempting suicide

Identifying these signs of depression early can be a life-or-death matter. One shocking reality is that depressed men are more likely to succeed in committing suicide than women, and this stems in part from men using more lethal means in the attempt. Seeing the signs early and acting upon them is of vital importance.

Depression can affect a man’s life by making him less productive at work, emotionally and physically absent from his loved ones, and abusive to the people he loves. A man is more likely to mask his symptoms by self-medicating, typically through substance abuse, risky behaviors, or disappearing into his work. The unfortunate result is that avoiding the issue deepens the depression, increasing the risk of serious negative outcomes.

Some Challenges Men Face with Depression

When it comes to depression and mental health in general, men face certain challenges. In many cultures and communities, there’s a belief that men ought to be unemotional, tough, and self-reliant. Such beliefs make it harder to seek help when needed. Under such a situation, seeking help will lead to you being perceived as weak, inadequate, and incapable of handling your own business.

There’s a famous clip of a TED talk that Brené Brown, a researcher and storyteller, gave a few years ago, sharing how men find it hard to be vulnerable with the people in their lives. Though she had studied and written about shame and vulnerability for years, she’d only focused on women, effectively excluding men from the conversation about vulnerability and shame.

Male mental health is often a struggle because of realities like the fear of judgment from family, peers, and colleagues. There’s pressure to maintain a certain image, whether in the home or the workplace, which places an effective barrier against disclosing mental health struggles or seeking needed treatment and support.

In addressing depression, there may also be communication issues. For some, it can be challenging to access the vocabulary to discuss their emotional state effectively. This can lead to miscommunication as well as underreporting of the symptoms one experiences to get necessary care.

Another concern is that a lack of awareness could stand in the way of getting effective treatment. Depression can manifest in ways that one doesn’t typically associate with it. As such, if a man isn’t feeling sad, but rather angry and irritable and more prone to reach out for a drink, he might miss what’s happening. Misunderstanding depression and its symptoms will then result in a diagnosis and treatment being delayed.

Even when a man knows the signs of depression, there may be yet another barrier to seeking help, and that’s the doubt about the efficacy of therapy and medication. If you doubt the means of getting better, you’ll likely be reluctant to pursue that path. One important aspect of recovery from depression is having a support network, but a man may not have an extensive support system or close relationships to rely upon for emotional support.

Healthy Ways to Address Depression in Men

If you see symptoms of depression, and if they persist for two or more weeks, it’s important to seek help. With symptoms such as suicidal ideation or suicide attempts, you should seek help immediately by reaching out to a suicide hotline or a mental health professional. There are other things that you can do to address depression, including the following:

Make some lifestyle changes Small changes can have a lasting impact on your well-being. Eating a balanced diet is good for your physical health as well as mental and emotional health. You can also ensure that you get adequate sleep each night. Sleep is helpful in many ways, including helping your body process the day’s stress and helping you regulate your emotions better. Good sleep hygiene is a must.

Other lifestyle changes include having a regular exercise routine; moving and physical activity can help elevate your mood and deal with stress. There are relaxation techniques you can learn, such as deep breathing and progressive muscle relaxation.

Seek social support Going through life alone can be unbearably painful, no less when you’re feeling depressed. You must talk to the people in your life who care about you. Share what you’re going through, how it’s affecting you, and the challenges you’re facing as a result. You can also join online communities or support groups where you can connect with others who are going through similar things as you.

Implement coping strategies Depression affects you in all sorts of ways. You can help yourself by taking steps that will nurture your well-being and help you to cope with the demands of daily life. You can set realistic and achievable goals, breaking these down into smaller steps that won’t feel overwhelming. You can defer making any big decisions until you feel better, lightening your mental load.

Other things you can do to cope include steering clear of alcohol and drugs as they can worsen depression, and doing things that you enjoy, as well as trying out new things like hobbies that help you enjoy life more.

Seek professional help Depression will likely require that you seek counseling or therapy. Talk therapies such as cognitive behavioral therapy are often used in combination with medication, especially in cases of moderate to severe depression. Medications such as antidepressants can help reduce the impact of symptoms and improve your quality of life.

Depression is treatable; take steps to reach out for help and make necessary changes that can help you address it. For more information and to schedule an appointment with one of the highly-trained counselors in our network, contact us today.